Texas Gov. Abbott AG Paxton pushes back against Biden's Title IX protections for LGBTQ+ students – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) and Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) are pushing back against President Joe Biden's recent overhaul of Title IX, which includes protections for LGBTQ+ students.

Title IX is a civil rights law enacted in 1972 that prohibits discrimination based on sex in schools or educational programs that receive federal funding. Title IX changes announced last week include new rules to clarify that Title IX also prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. LGBTQ+ students who experience discrimination are entitled to a response from their school under Title IX, and those who have been rejected by their school can turn to the federal government.

Abbott, on Monday, tweeted on X that he sent a letter to the president condemning his recent overhaul of Title IX, saying it “forces schools to treat biological males like females.” In his letter, Abbott said he had directed the Texas Education Agency to ignore the president's “illegal dictates” and that “Texas will not comply with the new rules.”

“Title IX was written by Congress to support the academic and athletic advancement of women,” the governor wrote in his letter. “The law was based on the basic premise that there are only two genders – man and woman. They rewrote Title IX to force schools to treat boys like girls and accept every student's self-declared gender identity. Attempting to impose a left-wing belief on Title IX exceeds your authority as President. I am directing the Texas Education Agency to ignore your illegal dictates.

However, Biden's policies lacked any mention of transgender athletes. Still, the governor said the Title IX overhaul exceeds Biden's constitutional authority and “also tramples on laws I signed to protect the integrity of women's sports by prohibiting men from competing against female athletes.”

In 2023, Abbott signed the Save Women's Sports Act to “protect the integrity of fair competition and women's sports by prohibiting biological males from competing against female athletes at Texas colleges and universities,” the governor's office said, Abbott signed a similar law in 2021 to protect girls' sports in Texas public schools.

The governor's order is not the state's only action. The Texas Attorney General's Office Ken Paxton said he is suing the Biden administrationand accused it of “unlawfully using Title IX to enforce a radical gender ideology, which is a violation.” [the] Constitution and endangerment of women.”

Paxton's office said the new Title IX requirements “expand the definition of 'sex' to include self-proclaimed 'gender identity'” and that they “distort these protections for women by forcing schools to accommodate the wishes of men.” , who claim to identify as such.” Women (or “transgenders”) are encouraged to enter women-only spaces and join women-only organizations.”

Paxton said the change “would force schools to allow biological males to use women’s restrooms and lockers. If schools refused, federal funding would be withheld.”

The state's attorney general said the revised rule violates existing federal law, ignores the Constitution and denies women the protections it was intended to provide.