The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) have announced the formation of a joint task force to investigate the so-called pernicious effects of gender ideology in school programs and activities in other words, pro-trans educational and sports policies.
In the press release, the DOE claims to have received a staggering number of Title IX complaints of pro-trans policies that have allegedly discriminated against cisgender female students based on sex. The DOE and DOJ formed the Title IX Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate these alleged claims.
Title IX is a 1972 federal civil rights law enacted that prohibits discrimination based on sex and gender in education programs or activities that receive federal funding. For years, Republicans generally opposed Title IX, with former Republican U.S. Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC) introducing a bill to condemn Title IX in its entirety. Since then, GOP politicians have generally tried to amend or omit certain sections of Title IX in order to circumvent funding womens programs or end protections for victims of sexual assault.
In President Donald Trumps recent executive order Keeping Men Out of Womens Sports, he cites trans people competing in sports teams matching their gender identity as a violation of Title IX.
The SIT investigations could encompass a range of Title IX violations, from sexual misconduct to complaints of funding misappropriation. SIT will mainly handle allegations of trans women participating in education programs and activities that do not align with the sex assigned to them at birth.
According to Education Secretary Linda McMahon, SIT had directed an investigation into the California Department of Education for their alleged failure to protect womens sports.
A similar investigation has already been launched against the state of Maine.
According to sources, six agencies, including the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) and DOE, along with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has launched an investigation into Maines Department of Education after reports indicated that a transgender student from Greely High School in Cumberland, Maine was competing on a girls track and field team.
After concluding the investigation, the Trump administration concluded that Maine had violated Title IX and gave the state 10 days to remedy the issue or else risk losing millions in federal funding. Maine has so far refused to comply, saying that doing so would violate the Maine Human Rights Act, a state law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity.
A large number of LGBTQ+ rights advocates have condemned the Trump Administrations move as another attempt to overstep its authority.
This sounds like another incoherent and baseless plan with the potential to waste untold taxpayer resources to pursue an unhinged agenda of animus, a GLAAD spokesperson told Advocate. In Maine, no fewer than six federal agencies reportedly swarmed the state over two transgender students. This is so far out of whack with what states need to help every student and community succeed.
Targeting a handful of athletes does nothing to protect women and girls, the spokesperson added. In fact, these bans endanger girls as they risk invasive genital exams and other expensive verification. It makes no sense, and it is harmful. Every student and school is safer when the most vulnerable students are protected and respected.
Advocates for Trans Equality also issued a statement, saying, The Trump administrations new Title IX investigation team is an overreach of governmental power, aimed at excluding trans women and girls from sports and facilities under the guise of protecting fairness. This effort, doing nothing to promote safety or inclusion, distorts the purpose of Title IX, which was meant to protect students from discrimination.
Again, it's cute how conservatives pretend to give a single shit about women's sports just as an excuse to be shitty to trans people. >_>
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