Biden Title IX rules on trans athletes set for election-year delay

[Jessica_Rose]

Biden Title IX rules on trans athletes set for election-year delay

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/biden-title-ix-rules-on-trans-athletes-set-for-election-year-delay/ar-BB1kGeKN?ocid=windirect&cvid=815ce404de124ae186dcee16d731ede9&ei=32

Story by Laura Meckler (28 March 2024)

The Biden administration is preparing to finalize sweeping rules in coming weeks governing how sex discrimination is addressed in schools, including new protections for transgender students. But officials plan to put off a companion regulation outlining the rights of trans athletes, according to people familiar with administration planning.

Athletics is among the thorniest issues confronting supporters of transgender rights, including those in the Biden administration. Polling shows that clear majorities of Americans, including a sizable slice of Democrats, oppose allowing transgender athletes to compete on girls' and women's teams. Twenty-five states have statewide bans on their participation, with proponents arguing that trans women have a biological advantage over other participants.

The Biden administration's proposed regulation, published in April 2023, took a nuanced approach. It would outlaw blanket state bans but gives schools a road map for how they can bar transgender girls from competing in certain circumstances, particularly in competitive sports.

"The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring all students are guaranteed an educational environment free from discrimination on the basis of sex," the department official said.

The sports regulation is part of a wide-ranging rulemaking underway on schools' obligations under Title IX, which bans discrimination on the basis of sex in colleges, universities and K-12 schools that receive federal funding.