A group of transgender and nonbinary state lawmakers is warning that President Biden’s proposed changes to Title IX don’t do enough to counter the nationwide push to prohibit trans athletes from competing in sports.

In a letter to Mr. Biden on Monday, 14 Democratic lawmakers from statehouses across the country said, “There is no such thing as an acceptable ‘compromise’ that limits transgender Americans’ access to equal rights.”

The letter added, “When it comes to policy addressing trans athletes, our stance is this: Trans athletes belong in sports: Full stop.”

The Education Department introduced a proposed change to Title IX student athletic eligibility that would ban all-out “transgender bans” introduced by some Republican-led legislature but would let schools bar some male-born students who identify as female from girls’ and women’s sports over safety and fairness concerns.

Supporters of a blanket ban say male-born students have a biological edge over female competitors.

Penny Nance, CEO of Concerned Women for America, said the proposed rule fails to protect female athletes from having to compete with biological males.

“The future of women’s sports is at risk and the equal rights of female athletes are being infringed,” Ms. Nance said last month, adding, “Any school that defies federal civil rights law by denying women equal opportunities in athletic programs, forcing women to compete against athletes who are biologically male, must be held accountable.”

The lawmakers behind Monday’s letter said trans athletes should be welcomed and celebrated.

“When discussing questions around fairness in sports, rather than granting credence to false narratives around the supposed advantages of trans athletes, we should instead be asking why trans people are so deeply underrepresented,” they wrote.

The lawmakers contend that Republican-led legislatures have introduced “over 450 pieces of anti-trans legislation” in 2023 alone, including sports bans in 20 states aimed at barring trans athletes from women’s sports.

“While we understand the administration may have been attempting to provide legal protections & clarity, in actuality these proposed rule changes will simply provide those who seek to deny us our rights a roadmap for how to do so,” the lawmakers wrote.

“We urge the Biden administration to revise this proposed policy in a way that allows trans people to fully participate in the sports of their choosing and does not perpetuate unfounded and harmful claims about trans athletes,” they wrote.

• Joseph Clark can be reached at jclark@washingtontimes.com.