Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is often painted as the arch-enemy of progressive causes. A billionaire with no government experience, DeVos’s strong belief in school vouchers is seen by many as dangerously devaluing traditional public education — widely acknowledged as a crucial factor in a functioning democracy. But DeVos isn’t all evil sorceress. She’s a conservative in complex times who prides herself on moral rectitude, once a conservative point of pride. (This is true even if her education beliefs appear to conflict with American egalitarianism.)
So when DeVos issued a statement seemingly against the tide of the Trump administration plan to roll back Obama’s anti-discrimination transgender bathroom legislation, it may have surprised people who believed the DeVos caricature. But, as she says:
“as Secretary of Education, I consider protecting all students, including LGBTQ students, not only a key priority for the Department, but for every school in America.”
DeVos wrote of the “moral obligation” to protect students and create a “trusted environment.” DeVos’ statement read in part:
“We have a responsibility to protect every student in America and ensure that they have the freedom to learn and thrive in a safe and trusted environment. This is not merely a federal mandate, but a moral obligation no individual, school, district or state can abdicate.”
