A federal district court in Kentucky issued a decision Thursday blocking the Biden administration’s attempt to change the meaning of “sex” in Title IX to include “gender identity.”
The Department of Education under the Biden-Harris administration issued new rules reinterpreting Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, a law that bars discrimination on the basis of sex in education.
Riley Gaines, who competed against biological male Lia Thomas in swimming, celebrated the court’s decision in an X post Thursday.
Wednesday’s district court ruling in State of Tennessee v. Cardona applies nationwide.
In Tennessee v. Cardona, Alliance Defending Freedom, a prominent conservative Christian law firm, represented a West Virginia high school female athlete and Christian Educators Association International, which joined with Tennessee’s lawsuit.
“This is a colossal win for women and girls across the country,” said ADF CEO, President, and General Counsel Kristen Waggoner. “The Biden administration’s radical attempt to redefine sex not only tossed fairness, safety, and privacy for female students out the window, it also threatened free speech and parental rights. With this ruling, the federal court in Kentucky rejected the entire Biden rule and the administration’s illegal actions.”
Although Biden officials didn’t include a formal definition of “gender identity” in the revised rule, legal experts say it would have allowed males to participate in girls and women’s sports, use female-only locker rooms and bathrooms, bunk with females in hotel rooms during overnight trips, and more.
At least seven circuit courts temporarily blocked the Title IX rewrite as unconstitutional, barring it from taking effect in 26 states. The Supreme Court in August upheld two lower courts’ temporary injunctions blocking the rule.
Shortly before Christmas, the Biden administration withdrew a rule that would have forced schools receiving federal funds to allow boys to compete in girls and women’s sports, if they claim to identify as girls.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, the plaintiff in a Supreme Court case that will determine if states can protect kids from irreversible transgender procedures, called the ruling a “massive win” for Tennessee and the country.
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares also celebrated the decision.
This is a breaking news story that will be updated.
