For the 50th anniversary of Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools, President Biden announced he was expanding the 1972 civil rights law to include protections for sexual orientation and gender identity, sparking more than 184,000 public comments to the Department of Education from concerned parents.
Under the proposed changes, K-12 schools would be required “to accept a child’s gender identity regardless of biological sex without requiring the approval of or notification to the child’s parents,” according to the Defense of Freedom Institute, which published a study titled “A Dozen Dirty Defects: President Biden’s Proposed Title IX Rule.”
Schools, colleges, and universities would be forced to allow biological males to compete in women’s and girls’ sports, and students could be punished by school officials and even the police for using the wrong pronouns, the study continues. Biological males would be let into the girls’ locker rooms and bathrooms, and if you object, you will be breaking the law.
The rule changes would also make it more difficult to punish K-12 unionized teachers who are accused of sexually harassing students.
Today, we commemorate the 50th anniversary of Title IX, a mandate that transformed our nation.
I'll continue to fight for the promise of Title IX – that every woman and girl can pursue her education and dreams free from discrimination, and every LGBTQI+ student is protected.
— President Biden (@POTUS) June 23, 2022
Needless to say, parents had thoughts, and they weren’t afraid to express them.
“For fifty years, Title IX has provided important protections and opportunities for women by prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex,” one commenter wrote, according to Fox News Digital. “While parents across the country are demanding the rejection of ‘woke’ policies, the Department of Education instead has chosen to hijack Title IX to force gender ideology on children without their parent’s knowledge or approval.”
“This proposed rule is a lawless interpretation and is a complete overreach by the Department of Education,” the commenter continued. “As a 71-year-old woman who has cherished Title IX, this is abhorrent and must be stopped. Please do the right thing and oppose the Biden Regime.”
“Your rule changes will destroy girls’ sports. It will no longer exist,” another parent stated, adding that they “can’t even publicly comment on this issue without fear of retaliation.”
“Your rule changes will subject girls to boys in their private spaces,” the parent continued. “Your rule changes will perpetuate the spread of confused children who claim to be another gender to fit in.”
The Defense of Freedom Institute offered parents a portal through which they could make their thoughts on parental rights, women’s sports, due process, and freedom of speech known.
Yael Levin-Sheldon, technology and communication officer for No Left Turn in Education, posted a comment on all four of the categories.
“The obvious concern I would say is that Title IX was made specifically to make a space for women so adding gender identity to it pretty much voids it,” she told Fox News Digital. “As a mom… the clear usurpation of parental rights that basically a child… the schools are assuming the responsibility of in loco parentis and acting as if they are the parents or legal guardians of the child and will be able to hide anything they want from the parents.”
(Video: Fox News)
Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies President Robert Eitel believes Biden’s new rules will lead to lawsuits.
“I think that it’s an absolute certainty that is the administration proceeds with the proposed rule as written… particular as it regards to gender identity but also as it applies to many of the due process provision changes, there will absolutely be litigation,” he said. “And litigation will be filed not only by students with appropriate standing but also the states.”
Due process is threatened under the proposed changes, Eitel explained, because they would eliminate the requirement for postsecondary institutions to have live hearings unless state law demands it.
“It would also bring back what is referred to as the single investigator model, where the same individual will consider a complaint, investigate the matter, develop the case file, interview the witnesses, proceed with any Title IX disciplinary proceeding, and then decide whether there should be penalties,” Fox News Digital reported.
While the sheer number of comments from angry parents is astounding, Eitel believes it is “improbable” that the Biden administration will back down.
According to him, “there is a core political constituency that is demanding this change.”
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Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
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