At a time in which Bud Light, drag shows, and bathroom rules are at the forefront of political discussions concerning the transgender movement and the ongoing “culture war,” Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) and his colleagues have issued a stern response to President Joe Biden (D) and his administration’s plans to change Title IX.
Title IX, implemented in 1972, was established to prohibit sex discrimination in the education system. It has been widely regarded as the catalyst for the growth of women’s sports, especially at the high school and collegiate level.
However, the Biden administration plans to push the boundary a step further, forcing schools to allow transgender women (biological men) to compete in women’s sports.
Sen. Scott and his colleagues wrote in reply to this decision, stating that it goes against the very reason Title IX was implemented in the first place.
“Congress made clear that its intention in passing Title IX was to prohibit discrimination against women participating fully in all aspects of athletic and academic opportunity at institutions that received federal financial assistance,” wrote the senators.
“This proposed rule uses weakly-associated case law and polarizing social concepts to broaden the definition of women and girls to include individuals who identify as women, and in so doing, the intent of the law is destroyed and women are marginalized yet again.”
There have already been clear instances of transgender women having undeniable advantages in women’s swimming such as Lia Thomas. Thomas, who is biologically male, won the NCAA championship in the 500-yard race by 1.75 seconds over Emma Weyant, an Olympic silver medalist, grabbing the #1 ranking in the process.
While competing in the men’s division, Thomas did not crack the top 50.
“This proposed rule is a monumental setback for the generations of women who have benefited from Title IX’s enactment over the last fifty years,” mentioned the Senators.
“The Department [of Education] should not move forward with this proposed rule, but should instead work with Congress on legislative action meant to strengthen the protections afforded to women in the original statute. Any interpretation of Title IX that permits biological males to participate in female athletics does irreparable harm to women as a protected class under the law.”
Sen. Scott was joined by Senators Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) – former Head Coach at Auburn University, and 18 other colleagues.
