Inauguration singer Jackie Evancho and her transgender sister Juliet criticized Trump’s decision to strip transgender students’ rights in schools, The Hill reports.
Trump’s administration removed Obama administration protections requiring schools to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity. Education secretary Betsy DeVos reportedly battled, and lost, a fight to keep the Obama-era protections intact, with Jeff Sessions and Trump pushing to rescind them.
“Please note that this withdrawal of these guidance documents does not leave students without protections from discrimination, harassment or bullying,” the departments of Justice and Education said in a statement excusing defending the decision. “All schools must ensure that all students, including LGBT students, are able to learn and thrive in a safe environment.”
Evancho said on ABC’s “Good Morning America” she wants to “enlighten” Trump about what Juliet deals with, “every single day.”
Juliet said, “being at a high school where the policies on the bathroom are unclear” creates an “unsafe environment.”
“I live it everyday, going through discrimination, having things thrown at me. I’ve had people say pretty horrible things, and the unsafe environment is just very unhealthy,” she said. “Donald Trump needs to know that being in such an unsafe environment won’t do any good, not only for the transgenders in the LGBT community but as well as everyone as a whole.”
Jackie Evancho tweeted at Trump asking to meet with him on transgender issues:
. @realDonaldTrump u gave me the honor 2 sing at your inauguration. Pls give me & my sis the honor 2 meet with u 2 talk #transgender rghts ❤
— jackie evancho (@jackieevancho) February 23, 2017
(image via screengrab)