Attorney General Jason Miyares has taken a firm stance against the recent actions of the Department of Education, joining a six-state coalition to challenge the overhaul of Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act. Miyares expressed his concerns stating, “The Biden Administration's unlawful rule would jeopardize half a century of landmark protections for women, forcing the Administration’s social agenda onto the states by holding federal funding hostage."
Miyares emphasized, "We cannot roll back Title IX in the name of false equity." Title IX has been instrumental in providing equal access to educational facilities and programs for women by prohibiting sex-based discrimination in federally funded schools for fifty years.
The Attorney General highlighted the potential impact of the DOE's rule changes, stating, "If DOE’s unauthorized rewrite of Title IX is allowed to stand, Virginia schools will have to allow males self-identifying as female to use girls’ and women’s facilities and activities, risking the loss of billions in federal funding."
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, aims to challenge the DOE's actions that would force Virginia to accept radical gender ideology in its educational institutions. Miyares pointed out that the DOE lacks the authority to implement such sweeping changes that could undermine student privacy and women's academic and athletic achievements.
Virginia is not alone in this fight, as Attorney General Miyares and the six-state coalition, including Tennessee, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia, are standing up against the DOE's rule changes. Other state coalitions are also initiating similar challenges in different federal circuit courts of appeal to protect the integrity of Title IX and ensure fairness for women in education.