FRANKFORT, KY – Attorney General Russell Coleman released the following statement Wednesday following the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit's order blocking the Biden Administration's Title IX rule:
"For 50 years, Title IX has created equal opportunities for women and young girls in the classroom and on the field. Today, the Sixth Circuit becomes the first appellate court in the nation to stop President Biden's blatant assault on these fundamental protections."
"This ruling is a victory for common sense itself, and it's a major relief for Kentucky families. As Attorney General and as a Dad, we'll keep up the fight for my girls and for women across Kentucky so they can continue to fulfill their potential for the next 50 years and beyond."
Read the Sixth Circuit order stopping the Biden Administration's rule from taking effect.
Background:
All three judges of the Sixth Circuit panel – including a circuit judge appointed by President Biden – agreed to block the central parts of the rule from taking effect on August 1. The judges also expedited a full hearing of the case for October of this year.
Kentucky Attorney General Coleman and Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti have led the national fight to protect equal opportunities in education and athletics for women. In June, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky agreed with the attorneys general and blocked the Biden Administration's attempt to redefine "sex" to include "gender identity."
If allowed to take effect, the Biden Administration rule would have required K-12 schools, colleges and universities to allow males identifying as females access to women's sports, bathrooms and locker rooms. Any school failing to comply would have risked losing federal education funding.
The Department of Education reports that public and private schools across Kentucky received a total of $1.1 billion in federal funding last year.
In addition to dismantling equal opportunities for women, the Biden Administrations' rule would have upended existing parental rights protections, annulled free speech protections by, for example, requiring school administrators, teachers and students to use a student's preferred pronouns, and undermined due process in the academic and athletic world.
Kentucky and Tennessee were joined in their challenge by Indiana, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia.
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