Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation applauded Governor Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for stepping forward to protect female-only spaces and organizations in Texas. The Department of Education recently announced a new federal rule that would force schools receiving federal funding to allow men claiming to be women into areas such as female restrooms and locker rooms. Governor Abbott instructed the Texas Education Agency to ignore the new rule, saying that the president has exceeded his constitutional authority by including “gender identity” in Title IX, the historic anti-discrimination law,. The Attorney General sued to strike the rule altogether arguing it radically distorts the meaning and intent of Title IX.
“The purpose of Title IX is to ensure women have the same rights and opportunities as men to go to school, compete in athletics, obtain financial assistance, and other measures,” said TPPF CEO Greg Sindelar. “This rule flips the entire law on its head, allowing men to take those opportunities away, invade women’s private spaces, and receive preferential treatment. It will result in greater intimidation, harassment, and sexual assault of women. Texans will not allow this rule to stand, as the state has been a leader in defending women’s sports and providing protections for women’s private spaces and organizations. We are thrilled Texas’ leaders are aggressively pushing back and will do everything we can to support this effort.”