麻豆影视

Skip to main content

More Republican U.S. states challenge new Title IX rules protecting 2SLGBTQ+ students

Demonstrators advocating for transgender rights and healthcare stand outside of the Ohio Statehouse on Jan. 24, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Patrick Orsagos, File) Demonstrators advocating for transgender rights and healthcare stand outside of the Ohio Statehouse on Jan. 24, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Patrick Orsagos, File)
Share
Washington -

nother six Republican states are piling on to challenge the Biden administration's newly expanded campus sexual assault rules, saying they overstep the president's authority and undermine the Title IX anti-discrimination law.

A federal lawsuit, led by Tennessee and West Virginia, on Tuesday asks a judge to halt and overturn the new policy. The suit is joined by Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Virginia. It follows other legal challenges filed by Monday by nine other states including Alabama, Louisiana and Texas.

The lawsuits are the first to challenge the administration's new Title IX rules, which expand protections to 2SLGBTQ+ students and add new safeguards for victims of sexual assault. The policy was finalized in April and takes effect in August.

Central to the dispute is a new provision expanding Title IX to LGBTQ+ students. The 1972 law forbids discrimination based on sex in education. Under the new rules, Title IX will also protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

The states involved say it amounts to an illegal rewriting of the landmark legislation.

They argue it will clash with their own laws, including those restricting which bathrooms and locker rooms transgender students can use, banning them from using facilities that align with their new gender identity.

鈥淭he U.S. Department of Education has no authority to let boys into girls鈥 locker rooms,鈥 Tennessee Attorney General Skrmetti said in a statement. 鈥淚n the decades since its adoption, Title IX has been universally understood to protect the privacy and safety of women in private spaces like locker rooms and bathrooms.鈥

The administration鈥檚 new rules broadly protect against discrimination based on sex, but they don鈥檛 offer guidance around transgender athletes. The U.S. Education Department has promised a separate rule on that issue later.

Yet in their suits, Republican states argue that the latest update could be interpreted to apply to athletics.

鈥淢en who identify as women will, among other things, have the right to compete within programs and activities that Congress made available to women so they can fairly and fully pursue academic and athletic excellence 鈥 turning Title IX鈥檚 protections on their head,鈥 says the suit led by Tennessee and West Virginia.

As a legal basis for the new rules, the U.S. Education Department cited a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court case protecting gay, lesbian and transgender people from discrimination in employment.

The new suit challenges that justification, saying the Supreme Court declined to address scenarios implicated by Title IX, 鈥渟uch as a school that does not allow a transgender student to use the restroom or participate in sports associated with the student鈥檚 gender identity.鈥

Among other things, the suits also take exception to the policy changes dictating how schools and colleges must handle complaints of sexual assault.

The administration's new rules were proposed nearly two years ago, with a public comment period that drew 240,000 responses, a record for the U.S. Education Department.

The policy rolls back many of the changes implemented during the Trump administration, which added more protections for students accused of sexual misconduct.

A previous version of this story misidentified which states led the new lawsuit. It was led by West Virginia and Tennessee and filed in Kentucky.

The Associated Press鈥 education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP鈥檚 standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas are at AP.org.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The British Columbia election campaign is set to officially start today, with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin issuing the writ for the Oct. 19 vote.

A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.

Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Mont茅r茅gie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.

A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.