“Take Back Title IX” Tour Stops in Grand Rapids

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy Devos made a stop in Grand Rapids Monday afternoon as part of a national “Take Back Title IX” bus tour.

The Biden administration has finalized new Title IX rules in April. The new provisions would dismantle those created by DeVos.

“Title IX was an important part of the work that I did when I was in Washington,” DeVos said during a news conference outside the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum on Monday. “The truth is, it’s been an important part of my whole life.”

Title IX, created in 1972, is intended to protect students from discrimination based on sex in any school or educational program that receives federal funding. Revised regulations issued by the Department of Education, which fulfill a campaign pledge by President Joe Biden, would change who is protected and under what circumstances. One of the most significant changes would be to expand protections for LGBTQ+ students by prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

“There should be no doubt about the meaning of the law, but the Biden regulation would once again place women in a discriminatory position in favor of biological men. This cannot be allowed,” DeVos said.

A growing number of Republican-led states are opposing the Biden administration’s new regulations. Attorneys general from more than 20 states filed appeals to block them from taking effect on August 1 and on Monday, a federal judge in Kentucky Temporarily blocked the new Title IX governs six additional states. The Department of Education said it would “continue to fight for every student” when reviewing the decision.

Although equal rights advocates have welcomed the Biden administration’s changes, others believe they would allow transgender girls to participate in girls’ athletics. Two former athletes have spoken about the impact it had on their sporting careers.

“I was forced to compete against two biological males in short sprint events all four years of high school,” said Selina Soule, a former elite track and field athlete.

“I said in 2018 that we would see the end of women’s sport if we did not end this injustice now. The people of my state said that this was just an isolated incident and that, thanks to their inaction, we have seen an increase in male and female participation in all levels of competition. The changes set to take effect on August 1 essentially roll back Title IX protections for women and will undermine our rights at the federal level, not just in Connecticut,” Soule continued.

Former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Paula Scanlan also shared her experience competing on a team with transgender woman Lia Thomas.

“On the men’s team, Thomas achieved personal bests in every freestyle event, even faster than the women’s world records,” Scanlan said. “Once the season started, Thomas was leading the country in several events. Thomas went on to become an NCAA and 500-yard freestyle champion, the first NCAA champion in our women’s team history. Additionally, my teammates and I were forced to strip alongside Lia, a 6-foot-4, fully intact man with male genitalia not once, not twice, but 18 times a week.

Several swimmers sued the NCAA for allowing Thomas to compete at the national championships in 2022.

“When we tried to express our concerns to the athletic department, we were told that sharing a locker room with Thomas was non-negotiable and we were offered psychological services to try to retrain us to feel comfortable with the idea of ​​us undressing in front of a male audience The Biden administration is actively encouraging this discrimination that I have faced and we must now act to fix it,” Scanlan said.

Twenty-four states have laws ban transgender students to participate in sports corresponding to their gender identity. The Biden administration initially planned to include a new policy prohibiting schools from banning transgender athletes outright, but that provision was put on hold.

Some have argued that the new arrangements are illegal and constitute excessive executive overreach. Measures have been introduced in the House and Senate to overturn them, but the bills have not yet been voted on.

“In the coming weeks, every member of Congress will have a choice to make,” DeVos said.