Texas sues Biden administration to block expansion of LGBTQ+ student protections
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/texas-sues-biden-administration-to-block-expansion-of-lgbtq-student-protections/ar-AA1nS8vh?ocid=windirect&cvid=c9cf4a53a2e743c0b5e17200eb46e8f4&ei=21
Story by Sneha Dey (29 April 2024)
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Biden administration Monday for expanding federal sex discrimination protections under Title IX to include LGBTQ+ students.
Title IX is a sweeping civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination at federally funded colleges and K-12 schools. The Biden administration's interpretation of Title IX rules, which came earlier this month, redefines sex-based harassment to cement protections for LGBTQ and pregnant students.
Paxton joins a number of Republican leaders across the country who have sued to block the change from taking effect.
"Texas will not allow Joe Biden to rewrite Title IX at whim, destroying legal protections for women in furtherance of his radical obsession with gender ideology," Paxton wrote in a Monday statement. "This attempt to subvert federal law is plainly illegal, undemocratic, and divorced from reality. Texas will always take the lead to oppose Biden's extremist, destructive policies that put women at risk."
The Biden administration's updates to the Title IX regulations were in response to a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court case related to workplace discrimination. The high court ruled in Bostock v. Clayton County that Title VII — a civil rights law that bars employment discrimination on the basis of sex — applied to gay and transgender workers.
This story appears growing. The City of Austin has positioned itself on the opposite side of AG Paxton. Paxton is rolling the recent successes of an age verification for hardcore access with Texas IP addresses and near sweeping primaries efforts.
https://www.kxan.com/lgbtq/austin-city-council-to-vote-on-transgender-protections-resolution/
"AUSTIN (KXAN) — Members of the Austin City Council voted Thursday afternoon to approve offering some protections to local transgender people seeking gender-affirming care, though it may lead to more pushback by Texas Republican lawmakers."
By all accounts the Texas Legislature is likely to sit a very pro-AG Paxton majority for the 2025 Full Session.