The RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity and its CEO, Mike Stenhouse, today co-signed a letter to Congress expressing its opposition to the Biden Administration’s proposed changes the Title IX rule that helped elevate women’s sports to equality with men. Ironically, the proposed rule changes, which include mandating that biological males can compete in female sports … would effectively destroy decades of progress for women’s sports.

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To Fulfill the ‘Commitment to America,’

We Must Stop the Weaponization of Title IX

 January 26, 2023

Dear Member of Congress:

House Republicans have united in support of Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his Commitment to America. [1] In his acceptance statement on January 7, 2023 newly elected Speaker McCarthy promised,

“We’re going to pass bills to fix the nation’s urgent challenges – [including the] woke indoctrination in our schools.”

Five of the Commitment to America principles aim to curtail the 2020 Marxist-inspired efforts which seek to weaponize the time-tested sex discrimination law, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972:

1. “Conduct rigorous oversight to rein in government abuse of power:” The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has abused its power by proposing to change the definition of “sex” – a change that only Congress can be allowed to make;
2. “Curb wasteful government spending;”
3. “Advance the Parents’ Bill of Rights;”
4. “Defend fairness by ensuring that only women can compete in women’s sports;” and
5. “Uphold free speech” and “guarantee religious freedom.”

These actions also enjoy the broad support of the American public. [2]

 Needed Actions

Numerous members of Congress have spoken out in opposition to Bidens recently proposed regulatory changes to the Title IX law.  (See Appendix below.)  Based on the above five Commitment to America principles, the undersigned organizations urge our federal lawmakers to achieve the following during the 118^th Session of Congress:

1. Reduce the appropriations to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) by $25 million. (The OCR appropriation in FY 2022 was $131 million.[3])
2. Vigorously oppose passage of the Students’ Access to Freedom and Educational Rights (SAFER) Act, introduced in December 2022.
3. Oppose legislation that seeks to expand definitions of “sexual harassment,” promote “trauma-informed” investigations, or seek to weaken free speech, due process, or the presumption of innocence.
4. Conduct hearings on experimental medical practices involving gender transition of under-age children, e.g., puberty blocking drugs, opposite-sex hormones, breast removal, and castration. [4]
5. Work for the passage of the following legislation:
   1. Parents Bill of Rights Act [5]
   2. Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act [6]
   3. Campus Free Speech Restoration Act [7]
   4. Campus Equality, Fairness, and Transparency Act [8]

Threat to Our Fundamental Values

The Title IX activists are seeking to broaden the powers of the Office for Civil Rights, marginalize the role of parents, promote gender transitioning among minors, make a mockery of fairness in women’s sports, and curtail free speech and due process.

We must not allow this to happen.

Sincerely,

RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity 

… and dozens more

Appendix

Statements by Federal Lawmakers Opposing the U.S. Department of Education’s Proposed Changes to Title IX Regulation [9]

• Rep. Kevin McCarthy: House Republicans oppose:
  • “Department of Education attempt to erase scientific definitions of gender.
  • Department of Health and Human Services promoting transgender surgeries and puberty blockers as necessary for children’s health without evidence.”
• Rep. Steve Scalise and Rep. Debbie Lesko: “It is shameful that Democrats’ divisive politics and radical gender ideology ignore basic science and are destroying women’s sports that Title IX was created to protect.”
• Rep. Virginia Foxx: “For an administration that claims to carry the torch for ‘equality’, these proposed regulations are steeped in hypocrisy. Policies such as these serve one purpose, and one purpose only: to tilt the scales in favor of radical partisans.”
• Rep. Greg Steube: “President Biden’s reversal of Title IX is a slap in the face to every female athlete in this nation. It cancels biological sex – on teams, in locker rooms, in dorms, and in scholarship selections.”
• 13 Senators and 21 Representatives: “The Department of Education should promptly withdraw the rule and instead focus on upholding existing law and regulations consistent with our law.”
• Senators Tom Cotton, Ted Cruz, Marsha Blackburn, Josh Hawley, Mike Lee, and Marco Rubio:  “Equally disturbing is the likelihood that your department will weaponize Title IX to force a radical gender ideology in K-12 classrooms.”
• Senators Roger Wicker, Cindy Hyde-Smith, and 19 others: “By contrast, the new proposed rule encourages institutions to adopt processes that have either been struck down or been viewed skeptically by multiple courts.”
• Sen. Richard Burr: The draft policy “threatens students’ Constitutional right to due process and the core American value of justice for all. The existing rule struck a balance that follows the law and is fair to both parties.”
• Sen. Tom Cotton: “If you don’t conform to the left’s new gender ideologies, you could lose your job or get kicked out of school. That’s what President Biden’s return to Obama’s Title IX means for students and faculty around the country.”
• Sen. Marsha Blackburn: “Regardless of the radical propaganda being pushed by the left, God created men and women differently from a physical standpoint, and that’s a biological fact.”
• Sen. Steve Daines: “On the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the Democrats have decided to push their damaging gender ideology in American schools – they are waging a woke war on women and girls.”

 

[1] https://www.republicanleader.gov/commitment/

[2] https://www.saveservices.org/2022/06/63-of-americans-oppose-expanding-definition-of-sex-to-include-gender-identity/

[3] https://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget23/justifications/z-ocr.pdf

[4] https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/community-family/transgenderism-is-experiencing-a-crisis-of-scientific-legitimacy

[5] https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6056

[6] https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/426?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22women%27s+sports%22%2C%22women%27s%22%2C%22sports%22%5D%7D&s=2&r=2

[7] https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4007?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22free+speech%22%2C%22free%22%2C%22speech%22%5D%7D&s=1&r=4

[8] https://www.saveservices.org/sexual-assault/cefta/

[9] https://www.saveservices.org/2022-policy/attorneys-general-and-lawmakers/