Countering Attacks on Education & Equal Rights

Countering Attacks on Education and Equal Rights That Are Undermining Democracy

Date: March 19, 2025
Time: 1:00 PM EDT – 1:45 PM EDT

Across the country, women, LGBTQ+ communities, and public education are facing unprecedented attacks. New efforts to weaken the Department of Education are part of a larger strategy to roll back racial and gender equality, restrict access to information, and erode democratic freedoms. These attacks are not just about schools—they are about controlling whose rights are protected and whose voices are heard.

Misogyny and discrimination are fueling new laws that censor discussions about gender, limit protections for students, and reshape government oversight in ways that consolidate power. Plans like Project 2025 lay the groundwork for even more restrictions, rolling back decades of progress in human rights and democracy.

Join Human Rights First, the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, and the Southern Poverty Law Center for this urgent briefing on how gender-based attacks and education rollbacks are fueling authoritarianism—and how we fight back.

Speakers

Hanah Stiverson – Associate Director, Democracy Protection, Human Rights First
Heidi Beirich – Co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer, Global Project Against Hate and Extremism
Lydia Bates – Senior Program Manager, Southern Poverty Law Center

What’s at Stake

The attack on the Department of Education is an attack on equal rights. Rolling back federal protections means restricting educational access, removing safeguards against discrimination, and censoring discussions about gender and race.
Hate speech is fueling restrictive policies. Rising misogyny and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric are being used to justify new laws that limit personal freedoms and human rights.
Project 2025 seeks to undo decades of progress. This political plan aims to consolidate power away from public institutions and civil rights—threatening democracy itself.

What You’ll Learn

How attacks on women, LGBTQ+ communities, and public education are connected and designed to limit equality, weaken democracy, and consolidate power.
How dismantling the Department of Education threatens equal rights, free expression, and democratic institutions.
How to track and push back against harmful policies with Democracy Watch, a newly launched tool from Human Rights First that monitors anti-democratic and rights-restricting legislation.

Resources You’ll Gain

Democracy Watch – A newly launched tool from Human Rights First tracking threats to democracy, education, and equal rights.
Not Just a Joke: Understanding & Preventing Gender- & Sexuality-Based Bigotry – A report from PERIL & SPLC on how misogyny and LGBTQ+ hate speech are fueling extremist policies.
Weekly Updates on Project 2025 – Ongoing reporting from the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism.

Why This Briefing Matters

Attacks on public education, women, and LGBTQ+ communities are part of a broader effort to control what people learn, limit who has rights, and weaken democracy itself. Now is the time to get informed, stay engaged, and take action.