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Title IX Protects Trans Student-Athletes, DOE Says

Last week, President Joe Biden’s administration announced the rights of transgender and gay students are protected at school by Title IX, reversing GOP-authored guidance that those student-athletes weren’t protected by any federal laws.

A report from USA Today shared the announcement, which was done in conjunction with the Department of Education (DOE), outlined that the decision comes as national debates have sparked as transgender athlete bans have been signed into four states.

title ix“Today, the Department makes clear that all students – including LGBTQ+ students –deserve the opportunity to learn and thrive in schools that are free from discrimination,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement, according to USA Today.

“The Supreme Court has upheld the right for LGBTQ+ people to live and work without fear of harassment, exclusion, and discrimination – and our LGBTQ+ students have the same rights and deserve the same protections.”

According to USA Today, the new guidance is particularly important for students in places where state-level protections for transgender youth don’t exist, said Christy Mallory, legal director at the University of California-Los Angeles’ Williams Institute, which conducts research on sexual orientation and gender identity law and policy.

The department will not change the process of reporting or investigating individual cases of discrimination through its Office for Civil Rights, Miguel A. Cardona, educational secretary of the DOE said, according to a report from the New York Times.

He added to the paper, “There’s a process for investigating specific cases, and we want to respect that process.” It is also unclear how far the Biden administration will go to address legislative efforts to restrict rights based on gender identity.

To read the full story from USA Today or The New York Times on Title IX protections follow the hyperlinks included in this sentence.