Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has initiated a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education, challenging the Biden administration's expansion of Title IX regulations. The lawsuit claims that these changes impose onerous requirements on educational institutions nationwide, potentially depriving women and girls of equal educational opportunities and imposing significant financial burdens on states.
Title IX, part of the Education Amendments of 1972, was established to ensure both sexes could participate equally in education without discrimination based on "sex," understood as a biological distinction between males and females. The Department of Education's new regulations redefine this understanding by including "gender identity" within the scope of prohibited discrimination under Title IX.
According to Murrill, these changes jeopardize constitutional rights such as Free Speech for students, parents, teachers, school districts, and states. Schools risk losing Title IX funding if they do not comply with or adequately meet the new standards concerning gender identity—a term criticized for lacking a clear definition.
"This is all for a political agenda," stated Attorney General Liz Murrill. She expressed concerns about safety for young female students across various educational levels in Louisiana and beyond. "These schools now have to change the way they behave and the way they speak," she added.
The case, titled Louisiana v. The U.S. Department of Education, sees Louisiana joined by Mississippi, Montana, and Idaho in contesting these federal mandates.