Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost sued the U.S. Department of Education this week over recent changes to Title IX, a law that prohibits gender discrimination in schools.
The U.S. Department of Education published recent policies on April 19 that will provide increased protections for LGBTQ+ students and employees. They are ready for the taking August 1 effect i will provide protection against discrimination on the basis of gender identity and protection against harassment of pregnant women and parents of students.
“This regulation turns the law on its head,” Yost said in a statement. “Title IX was intended to protect equal opportunities for women. This new rule states that there are no women-only opportunities and that men who identify as women can take advantage of women-specific programs and facilities.”
Title IX is a federal civil rights law enacted as part of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 that prohibits sex discrimination against students, employees, and persons affected by a school or any educational program receiving federal funds.
“This final rule builds on the legacy of Title IX by making clear that all students in our nation have access to schools that are safe, welcoming, and respectful of their rights,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a speech statement.
Yost argues that under the recent Title IX regulations, Ohio schools would allow transgender women to apply women’s bathrooms, locker rooms, dorms and play on girls’ sports teams.
Several Ohio bills attempt to prevent such events from happening.
House Bill 68 would, among other things, ban transgender girls from playing on girls’ sports teams. The act was supposed to come into force on April 24, but a a transient restraining order issued by a Franklin County Common Pleas Court judge currently blocks that right.
House Bill 183 would implement a ban transgender students from using the toilet and a locker room that corresponds to their gender identity. Last month, the bill was withdrawn from committee, but Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens said the bill would not advance to the House during next week’s session.
Republican Attorney General of Tennessee is leading the lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. The lawsuit also names Republican attorneys general from Indiana, Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia.
Other Republican attorneys general across the country have also filed lawsuits, including in Texas and the US Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana and Idaho filed a separate lawsuit.
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