Illinois Congresswoman Introduces Legislation To Stop Biden Title IX Re-Write
In April, President Joe Biden and his administration released a re-write of Title IX (which protects women from discrimination in higher education on the basis of their sex) that changes the determining factor from biological sex to gender identity.
Essentially, the re-write says that if a person declares him or herself to be a woman, that person cannot be discriminated against in higher education.
What was introduced initially as a way to protect women now includes allowing men to say that they are women and take those opportunities, as well as have access to women-only spaces like bathrooms and locker rooms.
What Biden and his administration did not address in the re-write, however, is the inclusion of biological males in women's collegiate sports. The reason for that is simple: the majority of the country believes that men do not belong in women's sports.
The Take Back Title IX bus tour made its first stop in Scranton, Pennsylvania, rallying against the participation of trans athletes in women's sports. Many female athletes rightly feel that the upcoming changes to Title IX rules made by the Biden Administration now make it difficult to compete on an even playing field.
(Aimee Dilger/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Putting that in the Title IX re-write would assure voters would reject his plan, and that's not a good political strategy ahead of an upcoming election. However, it's easy to surmise that he might plan to do that if re-elected to the presidency in November.
Still, the new Title IX re-write feels like a step backwards for women, who fought for the original Title IX. Why should a male be able to declare himself a female and then take opportunities granted to women through Title IX? The point is to stop males from getting those opportunities.
On Wednesday, Illinois Congresswoman Mary Miller introduced legislation to stop Biden's Title IX re-write, which takes effect on August 1.
In a press release, Miller released a statement on the legislation:
"Joe Biden is undermining years of progress women have made in securing their rights under Title IX. For more than half a century, Title IX has protected women and girls, ensuring they have equal opportunities in education," the congresswoman wrote.
"However, the Biden Administration is putting our girls at risk by allowing men to access women and girls' bathrooms and locker rooms. This divergence is a blatant violation of the protections Title IX was meant to guarantee, and it undermines the very foundation of women's rights and security in their private spaces."
Congresswoman Mary Miller (R-IL) introduced legislation in an attempt to reverse the recent Biden Administration re-write of Title IX.
(Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)
There are 67 House Republicans on the Bill, including many female congresswomen, such as Virginia Foxx (NC), Elise Stefanik (NY), and Anna Paulina Luna (FL).
"The Biden administration’s final rule hacks Title IX into pieces and expunges decades of progress for women and girls across the nation. This is a clear and present threat, and one that cannot go unaddressed," Foxx said.
"I am proud to stand with Congresswoman Mary Miller on her joint resolution—Joe Biden’s [Department of Education] does not get to decide what being a girl or woman means," Luna added.
Riley Gaines, host of the OutKick podcast "Gaines for Girls" and one of the most prominent pro-woman voices in the country, also voiced her support for Miller's legislation.
As Gaines wrote, it will be very interesting to see which congressional representatives vote to preserve women-only spaces and opportunities for only women and which ones vote to allow males to have access to those opportunities and space.
Stay tuned.