To: Secretary Betsy DeVos, U.S. Department of Education
Betsy Devos: Listen to survivors, not rape deniers
Listen to, believe, and protect campus sexual assault survivors. Start by firing your civil rights chief Candice Jackson and committing not to meet with any more rape deniers.
Why is this important?
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos wants to dismantle protections for campus sexual assault survivors. Last week she met with rape-deniers and so-called "men's rights activists" to help her do it, and her top civil rights official, Candice Jackson, called campus sexual assault survivors liars.
Jackson told the New York Times, "the accusations — 90 percent of them — fall into the category of ‘we were both drunk,’ ‘we broke up, and six months later I found myself under a Title IX investigation because she just decided that our last sleeping together was not quite right.’" The next day DeVos sat down with groups like the National Coalition for Men, who are known for blaming rape survivors for their assaults and publishing personal information about them, so survivors are harassed and intimidated into dropping their cases.
The Department’s true colors are showing. If Secretary DeVos faces a huge backlash after these meetings, we'll put her on notice that we won't stand by while she works with rape apologists to dismantle protections for sexual assault survivors. Will you add your name now to demand Secretary DeVos start listening to survivors, not rape apologists?
Jackson told the New York Times, "the accusations — 90 percent of them — fall into the category of ‘we were both drunk,’ ‘we broke up, and six months later I found myself under a Title IX investigation because she just decided that our last sleeping together was not quite right.’" The next day DeVos sat down with groups like the National Coalition for Men, who are known for blaming rape survivors for their assaults and publishing personal information about them, so survivors are harassed and intimidated into dropping their cases.
The Department’s true colors are showing. If Secretary DeVos faces a huge backlash after these meetings, we'll put her on notice that we won't stand by while she works with rape apologists to dismantle protections for sexual assault survivors. Will you add your name now to demand Secretary DeVos start listening to survivors, not rape apologists?