LAKEWOOD, Colo. (February 3, 2025)- In a significant victory for free speech and due process, the U.S. Department of Education has officially rejected the Biden Administration’s attempt to redefine “sex discrimination” in Title IX to cover “gender identity” and sexual orientation issues.
In a Dear Colleague letter issued Friday, the Department made clear that the Biden Administration’s proposed changes—an unlawful reinterpretation of Title IX—are not supported by the text or intent of the landmark Civil Rights law. MSLF was directly involved in a lawsuit (Moms for Liberty v. U.S. Department of Education) challenging the unlawful Title IX rewrite, and we are thrilled about this outcome. Title IX, enacted in 1972, was designed to ensure equal opportunities for males and females in education and athletics. The Biden Administration’s attempted redefinition would have undermined these protections, jeopardizing fairness in women’s sports and eroding decades of progress in female academic and athletic opportunities.
“We are pleased that the Department of Justice has decided not to appeal the judgment against the 2024 Biden-Harris Title IX regulations,” said Mountain States Legal Foundation General Counsel, William Trachman. “Those regulations tried to socially engineer schools by forcing everyone to abide by preferred-pronoun policies and by ending the reality of biological sex. This action by the DOJ will likely mean that the controversial regulations will no longer be in effect, anywhere in the country. This is a significant victory for our clients, as it ensures that the protections of free speech and due process under Title IX are not undermined. We remain committed to advocating for the principles of the First Amendment, and this victory serves as a reminder of the importance of holding the government accountable to the law and the Constitution.”