The Biden Administration will no longer pursue efforts to rewrite Title IX to include gender identity amid numerous legal challenges.
President Joe Biden first proposed revisions to Title IX, which prohibits discrimination based on sex in public schools receiving federal funding, in 2022 and released a finalized version in April 2024 that would have forced states to allow men to compete in women’s sports. After facing several lawsuits and having the order blocked in several states, the administration will no longer be pursuing the changes, according to a document leaked on Friday from the Department of Education that was set to be released Dec. 26.
“The Department recognizes that there are multiple pending lawsuits related to the application of Title IX in the context of gender identity, including lawsuits related to Title IX’s application to athletic eligibility criteria in a variety of factual contexts,” the announcement said. “In light of the comments received and those various pending court cases, the Department has determined not to regulate on this issue at this time. Therefore, the Department hereby withdraws the Athletics NPRM and terminates this rulemaking proceeding.”
BREAKING: Biden’s Dept of Education Withdraws Proposed Rules Governing Participation In Single-Sex Sports According to Gender Identity
After the Biden administration proposed rules in April 2023 that would have outlawed state bans on participation in single-sex sports by gender… pic.twitter.com/cyyTR4VUfz
— Benjamin Ryan (@benryanwriter) December 20, 2024
The Administration’s decision to scrap the proposal may have been intended as a roadblock for the incoming Trump Administration, as withdrawing the rule altogether will force President-elect Donald Trump to start the process from scratch if he chooses to make his own revisions, according to the Associated Press. Several other proposals that would likely not pass before Biden leaves office are also being dropped, such as his sweeping plan to forgive the student debt of millions of Americans.
The proposed rule caused an uproar due to concerns over fairness and women’s safety.
Several states, including Florida, Virginia and Texas filed lawsuits against the administration, claiming the president did not have the authority to revise the rule. The order had already been blocked from going into effect in more than 20 states.
In August, the Supreme Court denied Biden’s request to reinstate the rule in part, stating there was not substantial reason to overturn the lower courts’ decision.
The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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