New Title IX rules in effect: protections for LGBTQ+ students and employees sparking controversy
As of Aug. 1, people in Michigan can expect to see more protections for LGBTQ+ students in schools.
The Biden Administration is adding to a longstanding civil rights law, called Title IX, to prevent discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation.
While it’s a big step forward for parents of LGBTQ+ kids, other parents are taking legal action to keep the rules from going into effect.
Fighting for the freedom to choose is a struggle that Kallie Strouse said many parents of LGBTQ+ kids, like her, are facing.
Strouse said it’s difficult for kids like her own to feel comfortable exercising their right to choose the bathroom or locker room of their choice while at school, but that new Title IX regulations will protect that right.
“This is going to give our kids the freedom to be themselves, not to be worried or scared that they’re going to be approached about their identity,” she told News 10.
In addition to preventing discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, sex stereotypes and sex characteristics, updated Title IX law requires schools to respond to discrimination complaints faster and with unbiased decision-makers.
When someone does file a Title IX complaint, the new regulations will protect them from retaliation. That’s why, where Strouse sees hope for a more inclusive future, conservative parent organization Moms for Liberty sees safety concerns.
“What that means for moms and dads and kids is boys and girls sports teams, boys and girls locker rooms and bathrooms,” said Co-founder Tiffany Justice.
Justice and other Moms for Liberty members are speaking out against the Title IX expansion, with some members joining in on a lawsuit that prevents certain Michigan schools from adopting the new rules.
“We will not force our children to lie in school,” Justice said. “There are men and there are women, and we will not have our children not be able to speak openly and honestly if they do not feel safe.”
Moms for Liberty lawsuits have blocked the Title IX regulations from going into effect in any capacity in 26 states.