The U.S. Department of Education announced that it has rescinded protections for LGBTQ+ students under Title IX, The Hill reported.
Under the Biden administration, interpretations of Title IX gave protections to students based on their gender identity and sexual orientation. Now, schools will have to revert to the code as it was implemented during the first Trump administration, according to the Hill.
“Thanks to today’s action, the published Title IX regulations faithfully reflect court orders and Congressional intent — reducing confusion for parents, students, and educational institutions,” said Education Secretary Linda McMahon, according to a Department of Education press release. “We will continue to relentlessly champion equal opportunity for all Americans and hold accountable any school or college that violates the rights, privacy, or athletic opportunities of our women and girls.”
The change is intended to protect women’s sports, The Hill reported. But opponents of the decision say it will both harm transgender athletes, as well as protections for survivors of sexual assault.
“Sexual harassment and assault continue to be pervasive in schools and, to the fullest extent possible, we should be working to enforce the laws that protect student survivors of sexual violence,” Shiwali Patel, senior director of education justice at the National Women’s Law Center, told The Hill. “Yet, Education Secretary Linda McMahon and the Trump administration have decided to ignore what survivors need, instead weaponizing Title IX to attack trans students.”
This story was originally published by EdSource.