President Joe Biden’s administration’s plans to dramatically expand Title IX have received a record number of responses from the public including from parents who are concerned for their children’s safety in public schools and what the changes will do to women’s sports.
As reported by Fox News, the administration proposed changes on the 50th anniversary of the statute prohibiting discrimination in schools based on sex to include sexual orientation and gender identity — two ‘categories’ that were never even considered when the law was passed in the 1960s.
The outlet notes further:
The Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies recently released a study highlighting what they called the “Dirty Dozen Defects” of the draft. The “defects” the group said has fired parents up most are those that would require schools and colleges to allow biological males to compete in girls’ sports and use bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their “gender identity.”
Monday marks the last day of public comment period for the Title IX proposals. As of Friday, it received a record-breaking number of comments for the Department of Education – over 184,000 as of Sunday – from individuals sounding off on the rule to redefine sex.
“Your rule changes will destroy girl’s sports. It will no longer exist. Your rule changes will subject girls to boys in their private spaces. Your rule changes will perpetuate the spread of confused children who claim to be another gender to fit in,” noted one parent, going on to say they “can’t even publicly comment on this issue without fear of retaliation.”
Yael Levin-Sheldon, the technology and communications official for the group No Left Turn in Education, told Fox News she posted her comments through a portal that was provided by the Defense of Freedom Institute. She said the institute offered four main categories: Parental rights, women’s sports, due process, and freedom of speech. She added that she commented through all four portals.
“The obvious concern I would say is that Title IX was made specifically to make a space for women so adding gender identity to it pretty much voids it,” she told Fox News Digital.
“As a mom… the clear usurpation of parental rights that basically a child… the schools are assuming the responsibility of in loco parentis and acting as if they are the parents or legal guardians of the child and will be able to hide anything they want from the parents,” she added.
Opponents of the rule change varied in age, the outlet reported.
“For fifty years, Title IX has provided important protections and opportunities for women by prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex,” one commenter noted, according to Fox News Digital.
“While parents across the country are demanding the rejection of ‘woke’ policies, the Department of Education instead has chosen to hijack Title IX to force gender ideology on children without their parents’ knowledge or approval,” the commenter continued. “This proposed rule is a lawless interpretation and is a complete overreach by the Department of Education. As a 71-year-old woman who has cherished Title IX, this is abhorrent and must be stopped. Please do the right thing and oppose the Biden Regime.”
Other commenters threatened legal action.
“You are using non-discrimination laws in an illegal and unconstitutional way, and if this hits my kids’ school, we will file a lawsuit,” one user noted.
“I think that it’s an absolute certainty that is the administration proceeds with the proposed rule as written… [in] particular as it regards to gender identity but also as it applies to many of the due process provision changes, there will absolutely be litigation,” Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies President Robert Eitel told the outlet. “And litigation will be filed not only by students with appropriate standing but also the states.”
Asked if the record number of responses will deter the regime from implementing its changes, Eitel said it was “possible, but improbable” because “there is a core political constituency that is demanding this change.”
