March 27, 2023 The Newspaper Serving LGBT Los Angeles

Trump’s unqualified Education Secretary nomination imperiled…by women

Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski said today they will vote against Education Department nominee Betsy DeVos, jeopardizing her confirmation.

Donald Trump’s choice for Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, has never attended, worked in nor sent her children to public schools. She has no experience in government and has never run or managed a bureaucracy or any large organization. She has spent much of her adult life donating millions to politicians — most of them antigay — so that she can in turn lobby them for support her favorite pet cause: vouchers that give money to conservative religious schools.

Her family has donated millions to antigay causes. And her nomination has been opposed by every LGBT organization in the country.

RANDI WEINGARTEN, a national labor leader, attorney, and educator who is president of the American Federation of Teachers (and a lesbian), wrote in The Advocate that, “DeVos has spent her career bankrolling efforts to undermine and privatize public schools, and members of her family have donated to antigay causes, making it harder to protect LGBTQ students from hate and bigotry. Civil rights groups have said they’re deeply concerned  that she will dismantle the civil rights protections gay and transgender students have finally won.”

Weingarten also wrote, “DeVos’s family has a long record of opposing LGBT equality. Foundations run by her parents and her husband’s parents have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Focus on the Family, a group that’s promoted damaging gay “conversion therapy” and called homosexuality “preventable and treatable.” A foundation run by her husband’s brother and sister-in-law donated $500,000 to the antigay National Organization for Marriage, and a foundation run by DeVos and her husband has donated more than $100,000 to the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy. DeVos’s late father, Edgar Prince, helped found the Family Research Council; her mother, Elsa Prince Broekhuizen, sits on the boards of the FRC and the Acton Institute, which sponsored a conference held by an antigay hate group. Unsurprisingly, DeVos wants to immediately reverse the Obama administration’s hard-won protections for LGBTQ students.”

For Republicans who argue that perhaps an “outsider’s point of view” is what Washington needs, that premise satisfies them best when a proven leader emerges with has a track record of effectiveness –a master entrepreneur, a transformational CEO or a schools superintendent who successfully improved a major system and who has demonstrated a commitment to diversity and equality. DeVos fails to meet these criteria.

And since no Democrats are expected to vote for DeVos, it’s up to a handful of other Republican senators, all of whom are undecided, to determine her fate. She needs at least 50 votes to win confirmation and there are just 52 GOP senators.  

And that’s still likely. What’s notable, however, is that Donald Trump appears to be losing even Republican women supporters.

“This is not a decision I make lightly. I have a great deal of respect for Mrs. DeVos,” Collins said on the floor of the Senate Wednesday. “I will not, can not vote to confirm her.”

Collins told Politico that, although she will not vote for her, she will allow DeVos to advance to a final vote. Likewise, Murkowski also says she will oppose Collins on final passage.

“I have heard from thousands, truly, thousands of Alaskans who have shared their concerns about Mrs. DeVos,” Murkowski said. “I do not intend to vote on final passage to support Mrs. DeVos.”

Colins and Murkowski voiced concerns about her support for voucher programs, a key part of Donald Trump’s $20 billion school choice campaign promise

Related Posts

Long Beach Businesses with LGBTQ Flags Vandalized

March 24, 2023

March 24, 2023

By Susan Payne Three businesses in Long Beach have reported windows smashed in with one common denominator: visible LGBTQ symbols. ...

Newsom Calls Huntington Beach City Council Decision ‘Rank’

March 24, 2023

March 24, 2023

By Susan Payne Huntington Beach garnered disapproval from Governor Gavin Newsom on its recent decision to ban the flying of...

California’s Affordable Housing Crisis Disproportionately Impacts LGBTQ Adults, UCLA Study Finds

March 24, 2023

March 24, 2023

New Report by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research highlights the connection between lack of affordable housing, delayed access...

Santa Monica Place Invites LGBTQIA+ Artisans to Apply for Made With PRIDE Marketplace

March 21, 2023

March 21, 2023

Partnering with Streetlet, the marketplace will take place each weekend in June and showcase local goods made in Southern California....

Gus Kenworthy’s Gay Kiss Scene in ‘80 for Brady’ Cut Out

March 14, 2023

March 14, 2023

By Susan Payne “80 for Brady,” a 2023 comedy/drama film that follows a group of longtime friends who want to...

Abbey Founder Declares Drag is Not A Crime

March 14, 2023

March 14, 2023

By Susan Payne “Drag is not a crime.” In solidary with drag performers, David Cooley, founder of The Abbey Food...

Grants Available for Long Beach LGBTQ-Owned or Allied Restaurants

March 14, 2023

March 14, 2023

By Susan Payne LGBTQ-owned or allied restaurants in Long Beach are invited to apply for Grubhub’s Community Impact Grants ranging...

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Moves to Ease Restrictions on Blood Donations from Gay and Bisexual Men

March 9, 2023

March 9, 2023

The City of West Hollywood is getting the word out that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued proposed...

Board of Supervisors Approves Motion to Fly Progress Pride Flag in LA County Offices

March 9, 2023

March 9, 2023

Flags will be flown at Los Angeles County facilities where American and California flags are flown each year ​​Los Angeles...

Donatella Versace Visits the Los Angeles LGBT Center

March 9, 2023

March 9, 2023

Hosts master class with CFDA designers This week, the Los Angeles LGBT Center welcomed Donatella Versace, the Chief Creative Officer...

Versace Partners With CFDA on LGBTQ-Focused Initiative

March 6, 2023

March 6, 2023

By Susan Payne Donatella Versace is launching a masterclass at the Los Angeles LGBT Center on March 6 in partnership...

Suspect Pleads Guilty to Killing Los Angeles-Born Gay Man in 1988

March 6, 2023

March 6, 2023

By Susan Payne Last month, an Australian man pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the 1988 death of an American who...

Bill Introduced for K-12 Statewide Gender-Neutral Restrooms

March 6, 2023

March 6, 2023

By Susan Payne A bill to require K-12 schools in California to provide appropriate and equitable access to gender-neutral restrooms...

UCLA’s New Volleyball Coach’s Gay Journey Reaches Full Circle

March 1, 2023

March 1, 2023

By Susan Payne Playing volleyball in a West Hollywood gym is where Alfred Reft became comfortable with his sexuality, alongside...

Girl Scouts Make Sales at WeHo Bars

March 1, 2023

March 1, 2023

By Susan Payne A Glendale, California Girl Scout has found a new market for cookie sales in West Hollywood.  In...