The Biden-Harris administration on Friday officially withdrew a proposed Title IX rule that would have forced all publicly-funded schools to largely allow males to participate in female sports if the athletes “identify” as female.
The administration admitted that the decision to withdraw was because of public backlash, and the numerous lawsuits that were sparked from the gender rule-change.
“In light of the comments received and those various pending court cases, the Department has determined not to regulate on this issue at this time,” Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a five-page docket published Friday.
According to Cardona, the Department of Education received more than 150,000 public comments about the proposal, National Review noted. “Commenters offered a broad spectrum of opinions,” the docket said, adding, “there are multiple pending lawsuits related to the application of Title IX in the context of gender identity.”
The proposed change would have barred schools and colleges from outright banning males from girls’ athletics, largely permitting males who identity as females to compete. There was, though, a vague loophole offered for schools to ban some male athletes if they could prove it affected safety and fairness and served “important educational objectives.”
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Female advocacy groups are celebrating the withdrawal while warning that a larger Title IX rewrite from the administration still threatens opportunities for girls and women.
“Even the Biden administration can read the room that forcing women to compete and change with men is not a winning proposition,” May Mailman, the director of Independent Women’s Law Center and the attorney on the Alabama v. Cardona lawsuit, said in a statement sent to The Daily Wire. “Every state and private sporting body should figure this out.”
“The fight is far from over,” Mailman continued. “Biden’s omnibus Title IX regulation redefines sex to mean gender identity, threatening all women’s opportunities in school, including athletics. We’re not done protecting women from the humiliation of being treated as though they are a state of mind.”
Nicole Neily, president and founder of Parents Defending Education, noted how long it took the Biden administration to finally withdraw the deeply unpopular rule.
“After 18 months, the Biden Administration finally comes to their senses on Title IX’s application to sports!” Neily said in a statement sent to The Daily Wire. “All it took was 130K angry comments, consistent polling that showed a widening majority opposed to their position, and losing a national election.”
