{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-colleagues-demand-answers-about-bidens-proposed-title-ix-gender-identity-rule-in-schools", "Cotton, Colleagues Demand Answers About Biden\u2019s Proposed Title IX \u201cGender Identity\u201d Rule in Schools", "2022-07-28", "2022", "2022-07", "Republican", "Senate", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", "cotton", "https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: James Arnold or Mary Collins Atkinson (202) 224-2353\n\nJuly 28, 2022\n\nCotton, Colleagues Demand Answers About Biden\u2019s Proposed Title IX \u201cGender Identity\u201d Rule in Schools\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2014 Senators Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Marco Rubio (R-Florida) sent a letter to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona demanding answers about the Department of Education\u2019s intention to include \u201cgender identity\u201d as a protected category under Title IX.\n\nIn part, the senators wrote, \u201cThe Biden administration claims that Title IX, which was written to provide equal opportunities to women, protects men claiming to be women on the basis of their \u201cgender identity.\u201d Consequently, your department has suggested that schools which prohibit males from using women\u2019s bathrooms or playing women\u2019s sports could be guilty of unlawful \u201cdiscrimination.\u201d Your interpretation of Title IX will undermine that law\u2019s very purpose by making schools and sports unsafe and unfair for women and girls.\u201d\n\n\u201cEqually disturbing is the likelihood that your department will weaponize Title IX to force a radical gender ideology in K-12 classrooms. A number of troubling incidents suggest how your interpretation of Title IX could erode women\u2019s rights, free-speech rights, parental rights, and children\u2019s safety and innocence,\u201d the senators continued.\n\nText of the letter may be found here and below.\n\nThe Honorable Miguel Cardona\n\nAttn: Title IX Rulemaking\n\nSecretary of Education\n\nDepartment of Education Building\n\n400 Maryland Ave, SW\n\nWashington, DC 20202\n\nDear Secretary Cardona,\n\nWe write regarding the Department of Education\u2019s intention to unlawfully include \u201cgender identity\u201d as a protected category under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. \u00a7 1681). The Biden administration claims that Title IX, which was written to provide equal opportunities to women, protects men claiming to be women on the basis of their \u201cgender identity.\u201d Consequently, your department has suggested that schools which prohibit males from using women\u2019s bathrooms or playing women\u2019s sports could be guilty of unlawful \u201cdiscrimination.\u201d Your interpretation of Title IX will undermine that law\u2019s very purpose by making schools and sports unsafe and unfair for women and girls.\n\nEqually disturbing is the likelihood that your department will weaponize Title IX to force a radical gender ideology in K-12 classrooms. A number of troubling incidents suggest how your interpretation of Title IX could erode women\u2019s rights, free-speech rights, parental rights, and children\u2019s safety and innocence. Given these concerns, please respond to the following questions by Monday, August 15, 2022.\n\n1.A middle school in Wisconsin recently filed a complaint under Title IX against three students for choosing not to refer to another student by her preferred pronouns. Would it be a potential violation of Title IX for a student to refuse to call someone by pronouns that do not correspond to their biological sex?\n\n2.A school in Virginia suspended a teacher, Tanner Cross, for refusing to use a child\u2019s \u201cpreferred\u201d pronouns and cited Title IX as one justification. Would it be \u201cdiscriminatory\u201d or a potential violation of Title IX for a school employee to refuse to refer to a student or colleague by their preferred name or pronouns? If yes, would teachers with religious or conscientious objections be given an exemption?\n\n3.When Florida passed a law to protect K-3 students from inappropriate classroom instruction, you implied it might run afoul of Title IX. Would it be \u201cdiscriminatory\u201d or a potential violation of Title IX for a school, district, or state to limit a school employee\u2019s ability to discuss \u201cgender identity\u201d with young children? Would it be a potential violation of Title IX for any school, district, or state to discipline a teacher\u2019s or school employee\u2019s discussion of the aforementioned topic with young children?\n\n4.Would it be a potential violation of Title IX for any school, district, or state to refuse to provide puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones to \u201caffirm\u201d a students\u2019 \u201cgender identity\u201d at a school health clinic?\n\n5.In order to comply with the Obama administration\u2019s \u201cDear Colleague letter\u201d on Title IX, a Chicago public school chose to treat a girl as a boy and override the parents\u2019 expressed wish to treat their daughter according to her biological sex. Would it be \u201cdiscriminatory\u201d or a potential violation of Title IX to treat a child according to their biological sex if the parents requested this, but the child preferred a different \u201cgender identity\u201d?\n\n6.An alarming number of schools deceive parents about their child\u2019s \u201cgender transition\u201d by withholding information about their child\u2019s \u201cgender identity.\u201d Your proposed rules favorably cite policies from California and Washoe County, Nevada, which forbid school staff from notifying parents about their child\u2019s \u201cgender identity.\u201d Would it be \u201cdiscriminatory\u201d or a potential violation of Title IX for a school employee or student to notify or inform parents about their child\u2019s \u201cgender transition\u201d or alleged \u201cgender identity\u201d?\n\n7.The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act guarantees parents\u2019 \u201cright to inspect and review the education records their children.\u201d Under your proposed rule, would a school be allowed to deny parents access to a child\u2019s educational records, including sensitive information about their purported \u201cgender identity,\u201d for any reason? Under what circumstances could a school deny parents their right to inspect and review their children\u2019s records?\n\n8.In Loudon County, Virginia, a girl was raped in the girl\u2019s bathroom by a boy who \u201cidentifies\u201d as \u201cgender fluid.\u201d Would it be \u201cdiscriminatory\u201d or a potential violation of Title IX to deny a boy who claimed a different \u201cgender identity\u201d access to the girl\u2019s bathroom?\n\n9.A male student at the University of Pennsylvania who claims to be a woman, Lia Thomas, has caused discomfort through his presence and behavior in the women\u2019s locker room. Would it be discriminatory or a violation of Title IX to deny a boy who claimed a \u201cgender identity\u201d that did not correspond with his biological sex to use a girl\u2019s locker room?\n\n10.You have claimed that your proposed rule will not address women\u2019s sports, yet your agency appears to be enforcing Title IX to effectively end women\u2019s sports teams. Last June, your department signed onto a statement of interest, led by the Department of Justice, arguing that West Virginia\u2019s law to prevent biological males from participating in female athletics is a violation of Title IX. Would it be a violation of Title IX to deny a biological male who claimed a \u201cgender identity\u201d that did not correspond with his biological sex to join a women\u2019s sports team?\n\nThank you for your attention to this important manner.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T02:49:02Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-colleagues-demand-answers-about-bidens-proposed-title-ix-gender-identity-rule-in-schools"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5608221292495728, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}