Louisiana sues over new Title IX rules

The state of Louisiana filed suit Monday against federal officials over new Title IX regulations aimed at expanding protection for children who are LGBTQ+.

At a press conference Monday morning, Gov. Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill, surrounded by members of the state BESE board, legislators and other officials, announced the lawsuit. Currently, the plaintiffs are the State of Louisiana and the Louisiana Department of Education, but Murrill said she expects many school systems to join in.

Murrill said the new rules aim to "remake American societal norms through our classrooms, lunchrooms, bathrooms and locker rooms." She said the rule "eviscerates Title IX," which was "intended to prevent discrimination against biological women."

"It's not legal," she said.

You can watch the press conference by scrolling down. We've reached out to the Biden Administration for a response.

Murrill said the central feature of the new rules is to "transform Title IX to include discrimination based on gender identity," which she described as a very ambiguous term that isn't defined but is "described" in the rule as "a student's subjective and internal sense of his or her gender."

In order to enforce the rule changes, the Biden administration is threatening to withhold federal funding, she said, describing that as "the gun to our head."

Murrill acknowledged that federal officials say in the rules that these rules do not apply to athletics, but talked about athletics and Title IX's history regarding women's athletics. And, she and Landry both said that the rules can't be followed or enforced without affecting athletics.

State superintendent of education Cade Brumley called the rule changes "a line in the sand and a bridge too far."

Landry said he feels this is evidence of the nation having "lost its moral compass."

"This will push women out of positions because there are people out there who want to identify as an opposite sex," Landry said. "I'd love to identify as Shaquille O'Neal, I admire him very much. But I can't go to the LSU Basketball Coach and tell him "I'm identifying as Shaq and I want that scholarship and I want to play.... That's how absurd what the federal government has done."

Landry promised to use "whatever power" his office has to support the legal action.

"We will not comply. We do not intend to pretend that there is some other kind of sexual category other than what the almighty has put forth, and that's two of them," Landry said. "This fight is right. The object of this fight is to ensure that we protect women and we protect women's sports."

U.S. education officials issued several releases and fact sheets on the rule changes. You can read them here. We've also embedded the fact sheet below. Officials say the changes are designed to protect against all sex-based harassment and discrimination; promote accountability and fairness; and empowers students and families.

"The rule clarifies the steps a school must take to protect students, employees, and applicants from discrimination based on pregnancy or related conditions. And the rule protects against discrimination based on sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics," a statement reads. "The final rule protects against retaliation for students, employees, and others who exercise their Title IX rights. The rule requires schools to communicate their nondiscrimination policies and procedures to all students, employees, and other participants in their education programs so that students and families understand their rights. The rule supports the right of parents and guardians to act on behalf of their elementary school and secondary school children. And the rule protects student privacy by prohibiting schools from making disclosures of personally identifiable information with limited exceptions."

Last week, Brumley announced that he was advising Louisiana school systems to disregard the federal order. You can read his letter, too, by scrolling down.

"These new rules have been in development for nearly two years, and I have previously submitted comments in staunch opposition as it alters the long-standing definition that has created fairness and equal access to opportunity for women and men," Brumley wrote in a letter, which you can see by scrolling down. "At this time, my opposition to these new Title IX rules remains unchanged. The Title IX rule changes recklessly endanger students and seek to dismantle equal opportunities for females."

Here's the video of the presser:

Here's Brumley's letter:

Here's the U.S. Department of Education's Fact Sheet on the changes: