TALLAHASSEE, Fla.— Attorney General Ashley Moody has taken a stand against the Biden administration's newly announced Title IX rule, which seeks to redefine "sex" to include "gender identity" and "sexual orientation." In a statement, Attorney General Moody expressed her concerns, saying, “Biden’s new Title IX rules shred protections for women—that so many fought for over decades."
The coalition, including Attorney General Moody, raised issues about the new rule's implications, particularly regarding facilities like bathrooms and locker rooms. They stated, “... the rule declares §106.33 invalid without formally rescinding it and proclaims that excluding transgender or nonbinary students from using the bathroom or locker room of the opposite sex is illegal…”
Furthermore, the coalition argued that the redefinition of 'sex' to include ‘gender identity’ and ‘sexual orientation’ is illegal, emphasizing the importance of interpreting statutes based on their original meaning. They stated, “There is no evidence from the time of Title IX’s enactment—and the Department offers none—to indicate that 'sex' referred to anything other than biological differences between males and females.”
Attorney General Moody and the coalition are seeking various forms of relief through the lawsuit, including a declaration that the rule violates the Administrative Procedure Act, vacatur, a stay of the rule’s effective date, and an injunction barring enforcement of the rule in the plaintiff states.
Joining Attorney General Moody in this legal challenge are the attorneys general from Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina, along with several organizations including the Independent Women’s Law Center, the Independent Women’s Network, Parents Defending Education, and Speech First Inc.