Updated federal Title IX regulations including LGBT+ protections will not go into effect this school year due to pushback by the State of Louisiana, according to Loyola Title IX coordinator Dawn Broussard’s university wide email.
Title IX is the federal law that governs sex discrimination claims in higher education. The State of Louisiana sued the federal government over added sexual orientation and gender identity protections and succeeded in blocking the new regulations from taking effect in Louisiana colleges and universities through a court injunction.
Among several new regulations, one in particular caused the legal stop. Sexual orientation and gender identity plans to be protected through federal Title IX standards. The rule protects against discrimination “based on sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics,” according to the U.S. Department of Education.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murill expressed her disapproval of the added protections in a news conference.
“The rules rewrite Title IX, requiring all schools, colleges, and universities that receive federal assistance across the country to disregard the concept of biological ‘sex,’” Murill said to reporters.
In the updated standards, the term prohibited discrimination based on “sex” now has changed to include discrimination on the basis of “gender identity” — a term with disputed meaning by the state of Louisiana.
Some schools receiving federal funding, including Loyola, are complying with previous 2020 Title IX guidelines. The court date to set the regulation has not been set to hear the case.
“Our commitment to providing a welcoming and safe environment to the members of our Loyola community remains steadfast,” Broussard said.
Updates to the Title IX regulations included:
- Defining the environment for Title IX harassment
- Expanding the standard of responsibility for universities in handling Title IX claims
- Adding new procedures for filing a complaint and follow-up upon a complaint
- Providing new protections for pregnant and postpartum students
Sources:
https://www.ag.state.la.us/Article/48
