On the 50th anniversary of Title IX, Biden’s administration announced its plans to reinstate the Title IX regulations tossed out by the Trump administration. The proposed changes would ban “all forms of sex discrimination, including discrimination based on sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, pregnancy or related conditions, sexual orientation and gender identity.”

In 2020, Trump’s Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, made changes to Title IX that narrowed the definition of sexual harassment and also required schools to conduct live hearings for sexual misconduct investigations. The current administration plans to reverse many of the previously controversial rules.

The new amendments will include clarifying text regarding protections against discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation, to strengthen the rights of LGBTQI+ students in the US. However, it is still unclear how the rule would apply to athletics.

The proposal also clarifies that schools must protect pregnant and parenting students and employees from discrimination. Schools must have “reasonable modifications for students, reasonable break time for employees for lactation, and lactation space for both students and employees.” It will also allow students to take a voluntary leave of absence for medical reasons and they must be reinstated upon return.

A number of education and civil rights groups have praised the administration's proposal - however, they are also urging the Education Department to take immediate action to protect students currently facing discrimination.

Image from the Boston Globe