Five Republican-led states join Biden over new rules expanding Title IX, the federal civil rights law that protects students from sexual discrimination in federally funded schools, to protect transgender students. sued the government.
Several Republican officials in other states have vowed not to enforce the new rules, but have not filed lawsuits.
Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration on Monday seeking to block rules that would prevent schools from using school facilities or using pronouns consistent with their gender identity for trans students and teachers. .
Paxton said the expanded rules require “adherence to radical gender ideology.”
“Texas will not allow Joe Biden to rewrite Title IX on a whim and destroy legal protections for women in order to further his radical obsession with gender ideology,” Paxton said in a statement. Ta. “This attempt to subvert federal law is patently illegal, undemocratic, and out of touch with reality. Texas will always lead the way in opposing Biden’s radical and destructive policies that endanger women. right.”
Republican attorneys general in Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana and Idaho argued Monday that the rule exceeds the Department of Education’s authority, including because it redefines gender to include gender identity. He filed another lawsuit alleging that.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said, “This is all for a political purpose and poses a serious security threat to young female students attending kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school, college, and university in Louisiana and across the country.” It ignores the above concerns.” statement.
The Department of Education did not respond to requests for comment.
Government officials in Florida and Oklahoma announced they would reject the rule.
“Florida rejects Joe Biden’s attempt to rewrite Title IX,” the Republican governor said. Ron DeSantis said in the video. on social media. “We will not comply and we will fight back.”
said Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters. at a press conference on Thursday The state is “pursuing all measures to oppose this illegal and unconstitutional move by the Biden administration.”
“We have already directed districts not to comply with this illegal rule change by President Biden,” Walters said. “We don’t allow boys in women’s restrooms. We don’t allow boys to participate in women’s sports.”
More states are enacting laws targeting transgender students. In recent years, half of states have passed measures banning trans students from participating in school sports on teams that align with their gender identity, and 10 states have announced that trans school staff and students must They were prohibited from using the restroom according to their own admission. school.
The new Title IX regulations codify the Department of Education’s 2021 guidance that directs schools to interpret federal law to protect LGBTQ students from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The guidance reversed the Trump administration’s reversal of Obama-era guidance that directed schools to allow trans students to use school facilities consistent with their gender identity.
In September 2021, 20 Republican-led states filed a lawsuit, and in July 2022, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Department of Education from enforcing the guidance in those states.
Although the new guidance does not specifically address trans students’ participation in school sports, Paxton and Walters were among the Republican officials who addressed the issue in a statement. In April 2023, the Department of Education proposed changes to Title IX to ban trans students entirely from competing on sports teams that match their gender identity, but this measure would not allow trans students to compete on sports teams that match their gender identity. Some restrictions will be allowed in sports competitions. Like high school or college. The ministry had previously planned to announce the rule in March, but it has been postponed several times.
