The U.S. Department of Education announced on Wednesday that it has opened an investigation into 18 institutions over policies that allegedly violate Title IX, with a particular focus on discriminatory gender-related procedures in sports. The investigation was prompted by several Office for Civil Rights (OCR) complaints alleging that these institutions allow students to participate in sex-segregated sports based on their perceived gender identity.
In the press release, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said the investigation reflects the Trump administration’s commitment to preserving fairness and dignity in women’s sports.
“In the same week that the Supreme Court hears oral arguments on the future of Title IX, OCR is aggressively pursuing allegations of discrimination against women and girls by entities which reportedly allow males to compete in women’s sports,” stated Richey.
“Time and again, the Trump Administration has made its position clear: violations of women’s rights, dignity, and fairness are unacceptable.”
Among the institutions under investigation is the University of Nevada at Reno, whose diversity, equity, and inclusion policies have been covered by CriticalRace.Org.
The Division of Student Services at Reno defines ‘gender identity’ as “a sense of one’s self as trans, genderqueer, woman, man or some other identity, which may or may not correspond with the sex and gender one is assigned at birth.”
The division also states regarding gender identities, “As professionals we must understand that the sexual identities are fluid and ever evolving. The policy continues, “As a Division we must regularly review the new and changing ways that people identify and shift our definition and understanding of new terms as they emerge.”
As stated in the Department of Education press release, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Tuesday over cases concerning whether biological men could participate in women’s sports. In the now-famous exchange between Justice Alito and ACLU attorneys, a definition of “sex” could not be determined by the organization. To this, Justice Alito questioned, “How can a court determine whether there’s discrimination on the basis of sex without knowing what sex means?”
To close the Department of Education’s press release, Kimberly Richey emphasized a renewed effort by the department to continue the fight for equal protection of women under the law.
“We will leave no stone unturned in these investigations to uphold women’s right to equal access in education programs—a fight that started over half a century ago and is far from finished.”
As the generation-old question of “What is a woman?” befuddles the highest court in the land, several university policies hang in the balance, anticipating the Court’s decision on whether to protect the dignity of women in their respective sports.
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