More LGBTQ hate and fear mongering from our Governor:
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds threatened legal action Monday over new federal Title IX rules that seek to protect students from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, saying the new rules are a threat to women’s rights.
Reynolds, a Republican, said in a statement she had asked Republican Attorney General Brenna Bird to litigate the new rules. Iowa would join at least 15 other GOP-led states in challenging the regulations, which are set to take effect Aug. 1.
Democratic President Joe Biden's administration announced the final rule in April, expanding the scope of the 1972 law that prohibits sex-based discrimination at K-12 schools and higher education institutions. The new rules extend those protections to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics.
The changes also expand the type of sexual harassment and assault claims a school must respond to and change the grievance process for those claims.
“These final regulations build on the legacy of Title IX by clarifying that all our nation’s students can access schools that are safe, welcoming and respect their rights,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement.
In her statement, Reynolds said the Biden administration is “marginalizing girls and women” by expanding the definition of sex discrimination to include gender identity and sexual orientation.
“There are undeniable and important biological differences between males and females,” Reynolds said. “It's a fact that cannot be denied, no matter how inconvenient it is for the president during an election year. While he caves to the radical left, I will continue to protect the rights of women of all ages.”
At least 15 other states have sued the Biden administration attempting to stop the rule from taking effect. The lawsuits, supported by conservative civil rights organizations, argue that the education department overstepped its authority and submitted arbitrary, unworkable rules.
The U.S. Education Department has warned any states that do not follow the law will risk losing federal education funding, according to K-12 Dive.
The rules do not weigh in on how educational institutions should approach the participation of transgender girls and women in sports, which has been a focus of Reynolds and Republicans nationally. The Department of Education proposed a separate rule relating to athletics last year, and it still is formulating the final version.
Reynolds signed a law in 2022 that banned transgender girls and women in Iowa from competing on a sports team corresponding with their gender identity at the high school and college levels.
Last year, Reynolds signed a law that requires students and staff at public schools to use the bathroom and changing facilities that align with their sex assigned at birth. Schools must make a private, single-use bathroom available for anyone who requests it. That law would run afoul of the new federal regulations, which require schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity.
Reynolds proposed a bill this year that would define terms like “man,” woman,” “male” and “female” to align with a person’s sex assigned at birth. The bill would have required government accommodations to be provided to a person based on their sex assigned at birth rather than gender identity. The bill advanced out of an Iowa House committee but did not pass either legislative chamber.
A spokesperson for Bird did not immediately respond to a question asking whether she would be filing a lawsuit over the rule. A White House spokesperson also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
www.thegazette.com
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds threatened legal action Monday over new federal Title IX rules that seek to protect students from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, saying the new rules are a threat to women’s rights.
Reynolds, a Republican, said in a statement she had asked Republican Attorney General Brenna Bird to litigate the new rules. Iowa would join at least 15 other GOP-led states in challenging the regulations, which are set to take effect Aug. 1.
Democratic President Joe Biden's administration announced the final rule in April, expanding the scope of the 1972 law that prohibits sex-based discrimination at K-12 schools and higher education institutions. The new rules extend those protections to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics.
The changes also expand the type of sexual harassment and assault claims a school must respond to and change the grievance process for those claims.
“These final regulations build on the legacy of Title IX by clarifying that all our nation’s students can access schools that are safe, welcoming and respect their rights,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement.
In her statement, Reynolds said the Biden administration is “marginalizing girls and women” by expanding the definition of sex discrimination to include gender identity and sexual orientation.
“There are undeniable and important biological differences between males and females,” Reynolds said. “It's a fact that cannot be denied, no matter how inconvenient it is for the president during an election year. While he caves to the radical left, I will continue to protect the rights of women of all ages.”
At least 15 other states have sued the Biden administration attempting to stop the rule from taking effect. The lawsuits, supported by conservative civil rights organizations, argue that the education department overstepped its authority and submitted arbitrary, unworkable rules.
The U.S. Education Department has warned any states that do not follow the law will risk losing federal education funding, according to K-12 Dive.
The rules do not weigh in on how educational institutions should approach the participation of transgender girls and women in sports, which has been a focus of Reynolds and Republicans nationally. The Department of Education proposed a separate rule relating to athletics last year, and it still is formulating the final version.
Reynolds signed a law in 2022 that banned transgender girls and women in Iowa from competing on a sports team corresponding with their gender identity at the high school and college levels.
Last year, Reynolds signed a law that requires students and staff at public schools to use the bathroom and changing facilities that align with their sex assigned at birth. Schools must make a private, single-use bathroom available for anyone who requests it. That law would run afoul of the new federal regulations, which require schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity.
Reynolds proposed a bill this year that would define terms like “man,” woman,” “male” and “female” to align with a person’s sex assigned at birth. The bill would have required government accommodations to be provided to a person based on their sex assigned at birth rather than gender identity. The bill advanced out of an Iowa House committee but did not pass either legislative chamber.
A spokesperson for Bird did not immediately respond to a question asking whether she would be filing a lawsuit over the rule. A White House spokesperson also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reynolds threatens lawsuit over new Title IX protections
Iowa would join at least 15 other GOP-led states in challenging the regulations, which are set to take effect Aug. 1.
www.thegazette.com
