Catherine Lhamon - Assistant Secretary for the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Education (ED)

Catherine Lhamon held this same position under the Obama administration and has chaired the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights since 2016. Most recently, Lhamon was deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of the Domestic Policy Council for Racial Justice and Equity. She also served as legal affairs secretary to California Governor Gavin Newsom. In addition, she has litigated civil rights cases, taught federal civil rights appeals at Georgetown University Law Center, and clerked for the Honorable William A. Norris on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In these roles, she has advocated for radical leftist policies. Lhamon was confirmed as assistant secretary for the Office of Civil Rights at ED on October 20, 2021 by a vote of 51-50.

Views on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity:

• In 2016, Lhamon jointly issued a "Dear Colleague" letter that threatened to remove Title IX funding from schools that did not enforce gender identity ideology. This letter:
• Allowed biological boys who self-identify as girls to use restrooms and locker rooms intended for biological girls.
• Allowed biological boys who self-identify as girls to be placed in housing intended for biological girls on overnight trips.
• Noted, "The Departments have resolved Title IX investigations with agreements committing that school staff and contractors will use pronouns and names consistent with a transgender student’s gender identity."
• During Lhamon’s tenure, the ED website began publishing a “shame list” of religious schools that requested a waiver (in accordance with Title IX’s religious exemption) from Title IX provisions that violate their religious beliefs.