A group of nearly 70 House Republicans are moving to block the Biden administration’s recent Title IX reforms that expand protections for transgender students. The proposed changes have sparked controversy, with opponents arguing they undermine established protections for women and girls.
Representative Mary Miller (R-Ill.) led 67 GOP lawmakers in introducing a bill earlier this week to reverse the new Department of Education policy. “Joe Biden is undermining years of progress women have made in securing their rights under Title IX. For more than half a century, Title IX has protected women and girls, ensuring they have equal opportunities in education,” Miller stated. She further argued, “The Biden Administration is putting our girls at risk by allowing men to access women and girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms. This divergence is a blatant violation of the protections Title IX was meant to guarantee, and it undermines the very foundation of women’s rights and security in their private spaces.”
The bill has garnered support from prominent House Republicans, including Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), Chairwoman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, and Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Chairwoman of the House GOP Conference.
Title IX is a longstanding civil rights law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in schools and other educational institutions receiving federal funding. The latest update, issued in April, broadens the definition of discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Critics argue that this change could erode hard-won protections for women and girls, while LGBTQ+ advocates have praised the update as essential for safeguarding transgender students. The new rule is set to take effect on August 1.
This rule change dismantles Title IX and erases decades of progress for women and girls nationwide. It poses a significant and immediate threat that must be confronted.
As of mid-May, multiple lawsuits have been filed against the Biden administration over the rule change by at least 26 GOP-led states. The most recent lawsuit was filed by the attorneys general of Kansas, Utah, Alaska, and Wyoming.
