Biden’s Title 9 Rule Change
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Biden’s Department of Education is proposing a new rule that will put women’s safety and privacy at risk, and deprive women of athletic and professional opportunities. It would do so by radically rewriting Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
Protect Women and Girls in Sports
Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) have introduced legislation called the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act (S. 251/ H.R. 426). These important bills are needed to block the Biden administration from implementing changes to Title IX and to prevent woke educational institutions from acting on their own to allow men to compete in women’s sports.
This issue extends beyond sports. Redefining “sex” in Title IX to mean “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” also affects the safety and privacy of students in bathrooms and locker rooms. It also would also change what becomes acceptable to teach our sons and daughters in the classroom.
What is Title IX: Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex-based discrimination in any educational program that is federally funded, either directly or indirectly. This includes college athletics. It is enforced by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. For fifty years, Title IX has been enforced using the self-evident definition of “sex” –– a person’s status as male or female based on immutable biological traits.
New Interpretation: The Biden administration’s Department of Education has proposed a new interpretation of Title IX to unilaterally expand the prohibition against discrimination based on “sex” to include: “sex stereotypes, sex-related characteristics (including intersex traits), pregnancy or related conditions, sexual orientation, and gender identity.” The consequences of such a rule change would be monumental.
Biden’s Rule Threatens Safety: This rule change puts women and girls at risk of serious physical harm. Women and girls will be forced to occupy the most private of places with men—including dorm rooms, locker rooms, bathrooms, overnight accommodations, and any other safe, sex-segregated areas. Our daughters and our sons deserve safe and private facilities.
Biden’s Rule Threatens Opportunities: We are already seeing examples of how policies like these will allow biological men to rob women of not just their trophies, but their scholarships too. Women and girls will not just be missing out on the ability to play a game they love, but also on the ability to learn skills like leadership, perseverance, and teamwork that will help them to succeed later in life. Data bears these advantages out, as one study shows that 94% of female executives once played competitive sports.
How Congress Can Defend Female Athletes: The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act (S. 251/ H.R. 426) would defend the aspirations and safety of female athletes by making it a federal crime under Title IX for anyone who receives federal funds and operates, sponsors, or facilitates athletic programs to allow biological males to compete in athletic programs that are designated for women or girls. This respects the realities of natural biology and gives women and girls fair opportunities to compete and win.
A number of House Republicans have introduced a discharge petition – watch Rep. Steube share more here. A discharge petition is a procedural tool that the minority party can use to force the speaker’s hand. If they get 218 signatures, the bill HAS to be brought to the floor for a vote. Members of Congress have to walk up to the clerk’s desk on the House floor to sign the petition. See who has signed the discharge petition so far.
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