Upon taking office, new U.S. President Joe Biden promptly signed an executive order that eliminated legal recognition of both genders and important protections for women in the federal government and other areas. In response, a feminist organization called the Women’s Liberation Front (WoLF) recently submitted a petition to the Biden Administration asking the Department of Education to amend its Title IX regulations to ensure that the rights of women and girls are protected in all educational activities, including sports.
The petition focuses on the Title IX statute of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of “sex” in education institutions that receive federal funding.
In their petition, the feminists said
What makes a single-sex space (e.g., sports, secluded facilities, housing) a “single-sex space” by definition is the premise that gender, rather than gender identity, remains the only relevant characteristic. If a space ostensibly dedicated to unisex is also differentiated based on gender identity, then that space is no longer unisex …… because the purpose of unisex spaces is to promote safety, dignity, and equal opportunity for women and girls. Therefore, eliminating single-sex spaces would cause great harm to women and girls …… and such harm to women and girls cannot be avoided simply by effectively eliminating single-sex spaces based on distinctions of gender identity.
WILPF is asking the Biden administration to enforce Title IX in accordance with the Trump administration’s Department of Education memo explaining that “sex” is based on “biological sex.
On Jan. 8, the Trump Administration confirmed its longstanding position that “the term ‘sex’ in the context of Title IX refers to the biological sex of a male or female.” Last week, however, Biden’s nominee for education secretary, Miguel Cardona, said during his Senate confirmation hearing that it is “appropriate” to allow boys who identify themselves as girls to compete in girls’ sports and that he would support gender identity above and beyond “biological sex. “gender identity.
In its petition, the FMLN specifically requested in the rulemaking that the term “sex” in Title IX refers to biological sex. “Gender identity” is “a person’s belief that he or she has an internal sense of self-identification as male, female, both, or neither that is inconsistent with his or her sex.
Feminists argue that single-sex spaces and services (including sports) are provided according to biological sex, not based on one’s gender identity. Based on material reality, truthful statements about biological sex are protected by the First Amendment.
A national poll released by feminists in October found that a majority of likely U.S. voters disapprove of policies related to “gender identity,” including those that eliminate protections for women in single-sex public spaces, such as sports, housing and prisons.
The results of this poll of 3,500 likely voters of all regions, races, genders and political backgrounds show how unpopular “gender identity”-related policies are in the United States, despite the efforts of activists and the media.
According to the poll, even politically liberal voters do not favor replacing “biological sex” with “gender identity. Overall, 66.93 percent of respondents said they “strongly disagree” with “gender identity” policies, including a majority of liberal voters. More specifically, 66.96 percent of likely voters across political parties said that men or boys who identify as transgender should not be allowed to participate in sports for women and girls.
Lauren Adams, legal director of the Women’s Liberation Front, recently released a statement saying, “The organization’s proposed rule is fully consistent with the requirements of the executive order.
Adams said, “Our proposed rule will protect students with a ‘gender identity’ from discrimination while ensuring that women and girls continue to have equal access to education.”
Natasha Chart, executive director of the Women’s Liberation Front, added, “The petition is an important first step in going after the harm that the Biden administration’s policies will cause to women and girls.” She firmly stated, “Feminists are standing up for the rights that previous generations have fought for.”
Separately, the North Dakota House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday (Feb. 11) that would require school athletes to participate in sports teams that align with their biological sex.
The bill passed the state lower chamber by a 65-26 vote and will go to the state Senate, the Grand Forks Herald reported. It’s about girl-on-girl competition to ensure equal opportunity and to keep the playing field level for girls’ sports,” said state Rep. Kathy Skroch, a Republican and co-author of the bill. It’s about accomplishments that have lasted 50 years, protecting women from discrimination and advocating for the preservation of biological gender standards.”
State Rep. Ben Koppelman, a Republican and lead author of the bill, stated his position from history and biology saying, “Some say this bill is not consistent with science. But science has supported this since long before the United States was founded. This is not new science. Men and women haven’t gone away, they’ve been around for a long Time, and we can identify the differences.”
More than a dozen states in the U.S. are now working on legislation against transgender students participating on sports teams opposite their biological sex. North Dakota is one of them.
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