Does Gillespie stand with DeVos or Virginia women?

Virginia—GOP gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie’s problematic ties to Betsy DeVos grew yesterday as the Secretary of Education announced a massive rollback of protections for sexual assault survivors at George Mason University. DeVos’s announcement, which spurred vocal protests, weakened protections for survivors and reinforces false stereotypes that women who come forward after an assault cannot be trusted.

“One in four women is assaulted during her time on campus,” said Progress Virginia executive director Anna Scholl. “While it’s sadly not a surprise that the administration of a man who bragged about sexual assault would roll back protections for survivors, it’s sad that Ed Gillespie can’t speak up to stand with women in Virginia. Our families need to know whether Gillespie stands with us, or with his top donor’s crusade against sexual assault survivors.”

Gillespie’s campaign has received over $100,000 from the DeVos family, making them one of the top donors to his campaign for Governor. While Secretary DeVos pushes to make survivors’ rights second those of so-called “falsely accused” students, data shows that only 2-8% of reports were found to be false allegations.