«As the former Secretary of Education, I sincerely hope that Ms. DeVos will work hard to prove these concerns wrong,» he said in a statement, «and will lead the Department in a manner that protects fundamental civil rights and promotes opportunity and achievement for all students.» (hechingerreport.org)
Longtime gay activist Ethan Geto recalled that when the Assembly passed the marriage bill in 2007, «David, in what may have been an unprecedented act for a lieutenant governor, or any executive official, worked the floor of the State Assembly on the night that the vote on gay marriage was about to occur, encouraging and cajoling assemblymembers to support the bill and, importantly, making the crucial point that gay rights are fundamental civil rights.» (gaycitynews.nyc)
«We believe in high - quality public education because it is an economic necessity, an anchor of democracy, a moral imperative and a fundamental civil right,» said AFT President Randi Weingarten. (aft.org)