Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond praised a recent court decision that halted the Biden administration’s efforts to expand Title IX. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals determined that the U.S. Department of Education’s inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity in Title IX was not valid. The court found that the Department of Education did not follow the necessary notice-and-comment rules, possibly violating the Administrative Procedures Act.
This ruling upholds Oklahoma’s existing law, which mandates separate facilities for bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports based on sex assigned at birth. Attorney General Drummond emphasized that Oklahoma is one of many states that prohibit transgender girls and women from participating in female sports.
A total of twenty states, including Nebraska, contested the Biden administration’s new rules, which aim to prevent discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation in federally funded educational activities and programs. Following a preliminary injunction granted by a federal district court that blocked the rules from taking effect on August 1, the Department of Education sought to overturn the ruling through the Sixth Circuit Court.
The decision made by the Sixth Circuit impacts all twenty states that challenged the provision. Attorney General Drummond expressed gratitude that the Biden Administration cannot overhaul Title IX with its gender policy, stating that schools and universities in Oklahoma should not face repercussions for complying with state laws that safeguard female students in various settings.
In April, Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters advised public schools to disregard the updated federal regulations, as they would have clashed with state laws. Drummond took legal action to oppose the new Title IX rules, arguing that they disadvantaged female students and athletes.
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