A coalition of 14 trans and nonbinary legislators urged the Biden administration to reconsider a proposed policy change meant to address GOP-led attacks on young transgender athletes.
The Department of Education announced the proposed changes to Title IX, a 1972 law that prohibits discrimination based on sex at federally funded schools, last week. If adopted, the new rules would prohibit outright bans on transgender students from participating on school sports teams but would allow schools to bar transgender athletes in limited circumstances. Those carve-outs would allow schools to ban students if participation would impact fairness in competition or if there was an increase in the risk of sports-related injuries.
But the group of lawmakers said rather than ensure equal treatment, the proposal effectively gives schools “a roadmap for how” to bar trans students from sports teams.
“Twenty states have now passed sports bans, often targeting a mere handful of trans athletes in…