The House passed a resolution that would undo the Biden administration’s massive overhaul of Title IX that sought to prohibit discrimination based not only on sex but also sexual orientation and gender identity.
Lawmakers voted 228-184 to reverse the rule, sending the resolution to the Democratic-led Senate where it is unlikely to be considered. However, the resolution largely serves as a messaging bill for GOP lawmakers to use against their Democratic counterparts heading into the November election. Only 21 Democrats voted in favor of the veto message.
“Today is a great day for our daughters and granddaughters, who deserve protection from Joe Biden’s radical attempt to force men into their private spaces and athletics,” said Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL), who sponsored the bill, in a statement. “Title IX guarantees equal opportunities for girls in education and sports, but Joe Biden is putting our girls at risk by erasing their Title IX protections and claiming biological men should have access to girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms. Parents are horrified that Joe Biden is ignoring parental rights and forcing his leftwing agenda into our local schools.”
“I’m proud to have my bill, which blocks Joe Biden’s Title IX rewrite, pass the House, and I urge the Senate to vote on this legislation quickly to protect our daughters from Biden’s dangerous agenda,” she added.
Title IX, enacted in 1972, prohibits educational institutions that receive federal funding from sex-based discrimination and covers the vast majority of schools in the country, ranging from preschool programs all the way up to colleges.
Under the revised rules, released in April, transgender students have more protections if they are not referred to by their preferred pronouns or limited in which school facilities they are able to access. These rules, Republicans argue, could be used to force schools to allow transgender students to enter “girls’ private spaces,” such as bathrooms and locker rooms.
Democrats have praised the final rule as needed to protect transgender students, as well as a separate decision to roll back Trump-era Title IX provisions that give additional protections to students accused of sexual misconduct.
A spokesperson for the Department of Education told the Washington Examiner in May the revisions were made following a “rigorous process” to ensure “no person experiences sex discrimination in federally funded education.”
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“As a condition of receiving federal funds, all federally funded schools are obligated to comply with these final regulations, and we look forward to working with school communities all across the country to ensure the Title IX guarantee of nondiscrimination in school is every student’s experience,” the spokesperson said.
The resolution is likely dead on arrival in the Senate. But even if the resolution did make its way to President Joe Biden’s desk, the White House has already threatened to veto it.