Recently, The U.S. Education Department (ED), under the Trump administration, announced the ending of Title IX agreements with five school districts and one college that protected transgender students from discrimination. Title IX is a 1972 civil rights law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in education programs receiving federal funding. Under previous administrations, its regulations were further extended to transgender and gay students. The ED said it was ending the “illegal and burdensome enforcement” of these Title IX regulations at districts in Delaware, Washington, Pennsylvania, California, and at Taft College.
The decision means the ED will no longer enforce the agreements that made schools comply with federal civil rights law. In one specific settlement with the Delaware Valley School District in Pennsylvania, the Trump administration rescinded a policy which allowed students to use restrooms matching their gender identity. The administration has also filed lawsuits against Minnesota, Maine, and California over state policies permitting transgender athletes to participate in girls’ sports. Additionally, the ED has threatened San Jose State University with “impending enforcement action” over a former controversy involving a transgender volleyball player.
These actions represent a dangerous rollback of basic protections for some of our most vulnerable young people. Transgender youth already face disproportionately high rates of harassment and mental health struggles, and removing access to safe restrooms, locker rooms, and avenues of social belonging through sports only compounds that harm. We must oppose the Trump administration’s discriminatory policies and stand firmly in support of trans youth!
