At least 22 Republican-led states are suing the Biden administration over its new rules to protect LGBTQ students from discrimination in federally funded schools.
The lawsuits follow the Education Department’s expansion of federal Title IX civil rights rules last month, which now include protections against discrimination for students based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Among other provisions, the new rules would prohibit schools from using transgender students’ bathrooms, changing objects and pronouns that match their gender identity.
Title IX was originally enacted in 1972 to prevent sex-based discrimination and sexual harassment in educational programs and activities funded by the federal government.
Prosecutors General Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia Biden, who sued the administration in separate lawsuits last week, argued that the administration’s update to the rules was illegal. Attorneys general argued that the Department of Education overstepped its authority to change the regulation.
And this week, seven more states — Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota — agreed, joining the legal battle by filing two additional filings claims.
“The Biden administration’s interpretation is completely inconsistent with the statute and its interpretation over decades,” Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said. Press Conference Tuesday with Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Education said in an email that the department does not comment on ongoing litigation and that all federally funded schools are required to comply with the new rules.
In some GOP-led states, governors and education secretaries have discouraged state officials from complying with the new federal rules.
“Florida rejects Joe Biden’s attempt to rewrite Title IX,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said. video on social media. “We will not comply and we will respond.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent a letter to Texas’ public university systems and community colleges on Wednesday, urging them to ignore the new provisions.
“As I have already made clear, Texas will not comply with President Joe Biden’s rewrite of Title IX, which is contrary to the original intent and spirit of the law to support the advancement of women.” the letter is read. “Last week, I directed the Texas Education Agency to ignore President Biden’s illegal Title IX dicta. Today, I am calling on every public college and university in the state of Texas to do the same.”
The GOP backlash against the new rules comes amid years of legislative efforts by Republican lawmakers to regulate how LGBTQ issues are taught in school, whether trans students can use bathrooms and whether trans students are allowed to compete in girls’ and women’s sports.
Over the past few years, half of the country’s states have passed laws or regulations that limit the participation of trans students in sports and 10 states have enacted events prohibits trans students and staff from using bathrooms that match their gender identity. Eleven states restrict it how some LGBTQ issues are taught in school.
The new Title IX rules do not address transgender participation in sports.
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