In response to new regulations intended to shield LGBTQ+ kids from discrimination in K–12 schools, Republican attorney general Russell Coleman of Kentucky is joining a fresh multi-state lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education.
Subject to revisions to Title IX prohibitions against discrimination “based on sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics,” the agency published the regulations last week. Prior to Tuesday, comparable cases were brought by two different groupings of Republican attorneys general.
There is also a lawsuit by the attorney general of Texas.
Coleman stated in a statement that the new regulations from the Biden Administration “would rip away 50 years of Title IX’s protections for women and put entire generations of young girls at risk.”
Coleman is leading the complaint alongside Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti.
In order to “lead this fight for our daughters, granddaughters, nieces, and all the women of our Commonwealth,” he continued, his office is joining the lawsuit.
“As Attorney General, it is my duty to protect the people of Kentucky. As a Dad, it is my duty to protect my daughters,” Coleman stated. “Today, I do both.”
Indiana, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia attorneys general have joined Kentucky and Tennessee in the lawsuit.
The Department of Education “used rulemaking power to convert a law designed to equalize opportunities for both sexes into a far broader regime of its own making” with the new Title IX regulations, according to their case, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
Read Also: Title IX Clash: 5 Republican States Take Biden Administration to Court
According to the Department of Education, Title IX was enacted in 1972 to prohibit “discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance.”
“Men who identify as women will, among other things, have the right to compete within programs and activities that Congress made available to women so they can fairly and fully pursue academic and athletic excellence — turning Title IX’s protections on their head,” as per the complaint. “And anyone who expresses disagreement with this new status quo risks Title IX discipline for prohibited harassment.”
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona stated in a statement that the new Title IX regulations “build on the legacy of Title IX by clarifying that all of our nation’s students can access schools that are safe, welcoming, and respect their rights.” The rules will go into force on August 1, 2024.
The revised regulations also undo modifications made during the Trump administration, which limited the definition of sexual harassment and mandated that hearings be held in person in schools so that people who were accused of sexual harassment or assault may question their accusers in cross-examination.
Recent attempts by lawmakers in Kentucky to enact restrictions against transgender rights have been made.
Senate Bill 150, a comprehensive measure passed by the Republican-controlled General Assembly last year, required local school boards to establish rules prohibiting the use of restrooms, locker rooms, or showers that “are reserved for students of a different biological sex.”
