S. E. Williams
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!In normal times this would be a shocking revelation. Today, it’s one more attack by the President against a vulnerable segment of the nation’s population.
Without much fanfare in early July the Trump administration removed all anti-discrimination protections related to sexual orientation and gender identity in federally funded child nutrition programs. This left LGBTQ+ students across the country with fewer protections from harassment and discrimination while at school and zero access to these food sources that many in this vulnerable community rely on.
The new federal guidance administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prevents LGBTQ+ students from participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), and child nutrition programs. It further impacts those in this community receiving assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), from food banks, and through other federal anti-hunger programs. Many LGBTQ+ youth rely on such programs for sustenance.
Trump’s action tore away protections for these young people established during the administration of the former U.S. President Joe Biden. In 2021, the Biden administration issued an executive order clarifying federal prohibitions on sex discrimination in alignment with the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2020 decision in Bostock v. Clayton County. The Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock is reflective of the protections included in Title IX, a federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in all education programs and activities that receive federal funding.
This week Democratic Members of Congress finally issued a formal push back against the Trump administration for placing LGBTQ+ youth at further risk by limiting their ability to participate in these Federal Anti-Hunger Programs.
Congressional Equality Caucus (CEC) Chair Rep. Mark Takano (CA-39) joined Senator John Fetterman (PA), Senator Brian Schatz (HI),, and CEC Co-Chair and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Agriculture Angie Craig (MN-02) led 42 Members of Congress in a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, these elected representatives urged her to reverse USDA’s narrowing of LGBTQI+ nondiscrimination protections in federal anti-hunger programs:
“We write to express our strong disagreement with, and to urge you to reverse, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (“USDA” or “the Department”) recent guidance narrowing protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) students in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), and child nutrition programs more broadly, as well as people receiving assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), from food banks, and through other federal anti-hunger programs.”
The letter goes on to warn how this “ill-considered crusade against nondiscrimination policies will result in vulnerable school-age children going hungry.” The letter further stated how the new guidelines are especially concerning because it comes on the heels of the Republican party’s passage of legislation cutting SNAP assistance for 22.3 million families. “It is important that USDA reverses its actions before children and families are directly harmed,” the authors declared.
In conclusion, the Congressional members stressed the importance of all students having access to food at school. “We should not be encouraging discrimination against any student, including LGBTQI+ students, who need food assistance.”
Follow this link to read the letter in full.