Federal judge rules Biden's Title IX protections for LGBTQ+ students are unconstitutional

In early January 2025, a federal judge in Kentucky issued a ruling that invalidated the Biden administration's Title IX rules aimed at expanding protections for LGBTQ students. U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves determined that the 1,500-page regulation went beyond the authority granted to the president and was fundamentally flawed in legal terms. This decision came in response to a lawsuit filed by several Republican-led states, including Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana, which had already taken action to halt these regulations in 26 states due to concerns over potential impacts on areas such as school sports. The Biden administration's rules, finalized in the previous year, aimed to expand the definition of discrimination under Title IX, the law originating in 1972 that prohibits sex-based discrimination in educational settings. This expansion included provisions against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as an updated definition of harassment that encompassed a wider range of actions. While civil rights advocates welcomed these changes as progress for LGBTQ+ rights in schools, many conservative critics argued that the rules posed a threat to women’s sports by potentially allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s divisions. Reeves's ruling not only scrapped the newly established regulations but also noted that they could compel educators to use students' preferred gender pronouns, thus infringing on free speech rights. This aspect of the ruling sparked further debate regarding the balance between protecting individual rights and maintaining free speech in educational institutions. The judge criticized the Biden administration for attempting to implement such sweeping changes without legislative backing, stating that this approach undermined the established legislative process. Consequently, the invalidation of these rules signifies a potential rollback of protections for LGBTQ+ students in educational environments, raising concerns among advocates about the future of anti-discrimination policies. This ruling may also pave the way for a re-evaluation of Title IX regulations under the incoming Trump administration, which has previously expressed intentions to reverse such policies. The backlash against the Biden administration's approach is expected to gain traction, fueling ongoing debates about educational rights and gender identity in American schools.