Lankford Introduces Measure to Stop Biden Admin’s Attempt to Erase Title IX Protections for Women & Girls

CLICK HERE to view the press conference on YouTube

CLICK HERE to view the press conference on Rumble. 

WASHINGTON, DC – Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) introduced a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution of disapproval to protect Title IX from a radical Biden Administration rule that tramples on rights for girls and women that have been protected by federal law for decades. Lankford spoke out with Hyde-Smith and their Republican colleagues at a press conference challenging the effort from the Biden Administration to erase biological sex from Title IX protections.

The resolution, if passed, would overturn the Biden Department of Education final rule titled “Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance.” Among other things, the revised Title IX rule redefines “sex” to include gender identity and rescinds due process protections for students in disciplinary procedures.

“Title IX is meant to prevent sex-based discrimination, but the Biden Administration is trying to erase biological sex altogether. Expanding Title IX to include ‘gender identity’ deprives women and girls of equal protections, compels speech, and violates parental rights. I am joining the fight to stop the Biden Administration’s Title IX rule that takes away fundamental protections for women and girls,” said Lankford.

“President Biden’s Title IX regulation stretches the law beyond reason, ignores basic biological facts, and infringes on the rights of parents and teachers. It is a backward rule that only hurts women and girls, by stripping away opportunities and rights they have enjoyed for decades,” Hyde-Smith said. “We must save Title IX by stopping this radical rule.”

“Title IX has been about making sure women have a fair shake relative to men. The new Biden rule radically overhauls Title IX, injecting a progressive gender ideology that removes longstanding protections for women and girls. This is the death of Title IX as we know it,” said Dr. Cassidy, Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee. “Proud to join this CRA to stand with all women and girls, and ensure they have every opportunity to succeed on the field and in the classroom.”

The resolution is also cosponsored by Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Mike Lee (R-UT), Jim Risch (R-ID), Mike Crapo (R-ID), John Barrasso (R-WY), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Tim Scott (R-SC), Ted Budd (R-NC), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Mike Braun (R-IN), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Steve Daines (R-MT), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), John Hoeven (R-ND), John Cornyn (R-TX), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), John Kennedy (R-LA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), and J.D. Vance (R-OH). The Independent Women’s Forum (IWF) supports the resolution.

Broadly, opposition to the final Title IX regulation is targeted at the Education Department imposing sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) protections into Title IX, extending protection designed for biological sex to gender identity and sexual orientation. This radical shift, which essentially legislates through regulation, will allow biological males who identify as females to compete in women’s and girls’ sports. The CRA was also filed on the basis that the final rule threatens free speech on campus, and hurts due process protections for students accused of sexual harassment on campus. Further, noncompliance with Title IX regulations jeopardizes all federal funds an institution receives. Congress can consider this resolution using expedited procedures under the Congressional Review Act and can pass it by a simple majority vote.

Transcript

Cindy, thanks for your leadership on this and for calling everybody together to be able to speak out. This is, this is basic common sense. That’s the thing that’s so appalling to all of us. As a dad of two daughters who are both athletes, to be able to say at any point to me, ‘Not only are we not going to tell you, but also your daughter would be in a locker room with a biological male if he chooses to be in that locker room that day, and it’s up to his choice from day to day what he wants to do,’ I can assure you both of my daughters would be uncomfortable with that. Rightfully so.

Many other parents would also be uncomfortable with that. Many other citizens would also be uncomfortable with that. Now, this is not disparaging any particular citizen for who they are or what they choose to be at that point. But this is saying other people also have rights too. This is the most basic element for a parent and for an individual and for women sports that have been protected now for decades to now suddenly say, ‘You’re not going to be protected.’

The athletes that participate, the awards that are given out, the scholarships, the recognition, the prizes may or may not go to a female this particular time, depending on whether a male chose to be able to run against females or to be able to compete against females in that particular sport. This is something that is not a partisan issue. It’s a human issue. It should be something that we should have great compassion on for every individual. But we should also speak out for the most basic element of common sense and to say, ‘let’s continue to be able to protect women’s sports and allow women’s sports to be able to thrive, and for a lot of women that are competing in women’s sports, to not have to be intimidated by men that are coming into their locker room or that are taking away the ability to be able to win that sport at any given time.’

So I appreciate the engagement on this. I appreciate your leadership on this, but I also appreciate the thousands and thousands of parents and of athletes that are saying, ‘Don’t make this partisan, just protect our sports.’

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