For Immediate Release:
September 12, 2022
For press inquiries only, contact:
Mike Lewis (334) 353-2199
Attorney General Steve Marshall Opposes Biden Administration Rule to Redefine “Sex” as “Gender Identity” in America’s Schools
(MONTGOMERY) – Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall filed formal comment letters with the U.S. Department of Education on Monday in opposition to the Biden administration’s proposed Title IX rule, changing the meaning of “sex” to “gender identity,” in an attempt to effectively abolish female-only sports, bathrooms, and locker rooms in America’s schools.
“Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits schools that receive federal funding from discriminating ‘on the basis of sex,’ has played an important role in protecting the rights of women for half a century,” said Attorney General Marshall. “Yet, during the 50th anniversary year of this landmark law, the Biden administration has launched an assault on women’s equality by undermining the very foundation of Title IX.”
This effort is not new, however. In 2016, the State of Alabama joined a coalition of states to fight Obama-era guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Education purporting to require public schools to comply with many of the same provisions contained in the proposed Biden rule. That guidance was halted by a federal district judge and was later rescinded by President Trump.
“President Biden’s proposed Title IX rule would erase all the gains made by women over the last five decades, denying them equal access to education programs and activities by allowing anyone who identifies as a woman to enter spaces and join activities designated for women alone. As a result, women will lose opportunities and scholarships, not to mention be subjected to a greater risk for physical assault from potential predators.
“Equally disturbing, Biden’s proposed new Title IX rule forces schools to allow students to identify as a sex opposite to their biological sex, effectively stripping the right of parents to raise their children how they choose. In one fell swoop, the Biden administration will not only have reinstituted discrimination upon women in America’s schools, but it will have also upended the primary role of the family to safeguard the wellbeing of their children.
“The Alabama Legislature has already taken strong steps to protect our female students from genderless sports and bathrooms. I will continue to do everything in my power to preserve our state’s sovereignty over these matters and am glad to join my fellow attorneys general and millions of Americans in demanding that the Biden administration immediately withdraw its fundamentally flawed proposed rule.”
Attorney General Marshall joined the following comment letters to the U.S. Department of Education:
Indiana-led letter
Ohio-led letter
Tennessee-led letter
[For hyperlinks, click PDF icon at upper right of press release]
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