Supreme Court's Espinoza Ruling Devastating for Public Education

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states must allow public funding to support religious education, forcing taxpayers to support private schools, including many religious schools that often discriminate against LGBTQ students and educators. In response to this harmful ruling, GLSEN Executive Director Eliza Byard issued the following statement:

“This devastating ruling requires states to allow taxpayer dollars to fund religious schools, many of which actively discriminate against LGBTQ students and educators, include negative teachings about LGBTQ people in their curriculum, and promote the dangerous and discredited practice of “conversion therapy.” This decision is also a terrible blow to public schools already reeling from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and years of underfunding, as well as the principle that education is a public good that must be available to all. 

“Our opponents have made it clear that they intend to leverage this decision to pave the way for further privatization across the country. If we are ever to achieve liberation for LGBTQ people and undo the legacy of racism and slavery in this country, we must block these efforts and ensure we are using our taxpayer dollars to make our nation’s schools safe and enriching for all students, not starving our public schools of essential funds and sustaining anti-LGBTQ school environments that put our young people at risk.”