The American Alliance of Museums has spoken out against the decision by US President Donald Trump’s administration to rescind guidelines that sought to protect transgender students in learning institutions from discrimination.
The LGBTQ Alliance – a professional network of AAM – has condemned the decision, stating that discrimination in any form has “no place in our nation's learning institutions”.
“Museums and cultural institutions strive to provide places where people of every background can safely come together to learn and share from each other's common yet diverse cultural, natural, and social experiences,” said a statement from the body. “We find it difficult to imagine how educational institutions could aspire to anything less.”
The guidelines, which were issued under
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 by former President Barack Obama in 2016, applies to institutions that receive federal financial assistance from the US Department of Education, including state and local educational agencies.
Included among these agencies are museums and libraries, as well as 16,500 local school districts and 7,000 postsecondary institutions. The withdrawal of legal protection, which occurred on 22 February, means that institutions operating under Title IX are no longer required to allow students access to bathrooms and other facilities that match their gender identities. The ruling however does not prevent individual institutions from operating in a way that they see fit.
AAM recently said in its new issue brief that museums embrace diversity and strive to make their programs and collections accessible to all audiences and that they have the power to lead by example in the community.
“As we confront the withdrawal of legal protection, and growing hostility to members of the LGBTQ community, members of the LGBTQ Alliance encourage our museums to actively promote diversity and inclusion in their institutions and communities,” said a statement. “The spirit of Title IX remains powerful and we urge thoughtful leaders everywhere to continue to adhere to its lofty goals.”
