Senator Al Franken questioned Betsy DeVos over donations to Focus on the Family in confirmation hearings yesterday. The Michigan billionaire philanthropist was nominated for Secretary of Education.
The New Republic reports that many exchanges with Democratic Senators showed that DeVos has little understanding of debates on education policy. Franken started his questioning by asking DeVos for her opinion on the proficiency-vs-growth in standardized testing scores debate, and she seemed unaware that the debate exists.
He moved on to discussing her support for Focus on the Family, an organization that continues to support therapy that has the goal of changing LGBT people’s sexual orientations and gender identities. DeVos responded that she “fully embrace[s] equality.”
Video is below, and the exchange on conversion therapy begins halfway through.
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Franken: Mrs. DeVos, your family has a long history of supporting anti-LGBT causes including donating millions of dollars to groups that push conversion therapy, the practice of trying to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. For example, you and your family have given over $10 million to Focus On the Family, an organization that currently states on its website that, “homosexual strugglers can and do change their sexual behavior and identity.” Mrs. DeVos, conversion therapy has been widely discredited and rejected for decades by every mainstream medical and mental health organization as neither medically nor ethically appropriate. It has been shown to lead to depression, anxiety, drug use, homelessness, and suicide, particularly in LGBT youth. In fact, many of the leaders and founders of conversion therapy, including both religious ministries and mental health professionals, have not only publicly renounced it but have issued formal apologies for their work and how harmful it has been to the individuals involved. Mr. Chairman, I would ask that this be included in the record.
Chairman: It will be.
Franken: Mrs. DeVos, do you still believe in conversion therapy?
DeVos: Senator Franken, I’ve never believed in that. First of all, let me say I fully embrace equality and I believe in the innate value of every single human being and that all students, no matter their age, should be able to attend a school and feel safe and be free of discrimination. So let’s start there and let me just say that your characterization of our contributions I don’t think accurately reflects those of my family. I would hope you wouldn’t include other family members beyond my core family.
Kangol
Good for him. Her record is awful and she has zero experience with public education.
jacksjoo
DeVos is totally Unqualified for the job of Secretary of Education.
She doesn’t know or understand even the basics of Public Education, Pell Grants, Student Loan and much more. Secretary of Education is NOT a trainee position!
DeVos is as unqualified as the moron who nominated her!
He BGB
But she gave $200 million to the Republican Party. That’s all trump sees.
Neonegro
Yeah, I was not impressed with her.
Did not come prepared.
ChrisK
She’s a fucking liar. She’s given 200 million to anti gay hate groups.
Greeva
After years of suffering from chronic constipation, I sought the expertise of a gastroenterologist. After his initial examination and before diagnosing me with IBS w/Chronic Constipation, he jokingly said I was “FOS”. FOS? “Full Of Shit”. I have decided to apply that same acronym to Mzz DeVos, she’s FOS!
scotshot
This is about 2 minutes of the hearing.There’s so much more and Al Franken cut her off at the knees every time.
James
She is a phony and a liar. All she wants to do is suppress gays.
Terrycloth
All students no matter their age should be able to go to school without discrimination. Not an exceptable anwser..she doesn’t say gay or sexual orientation at all..Franken should have called her out on a one sentence non anwser
NateOcean
Good for Sen Franken.
DeVos is not just a horrible candidate, she’s a liar and horrible person.
trusgold
She has zero clue what common core is. She has no clued how private on-line schools are disrupting education. In Pittsburgh These proprietary schools buy a whole application for $5000 and Pittsburgh Public Schools pays the proprietary schools about$13,000. High rate of students repeating a grade, switching back to public schools
trusgold
This is so embarrassing…