The leader of the state’s largest gay rights advocacy group said he’s disappointed, but not surprised by the striking-down of new protections for LGBTQ students. Judge Danny Reeves of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky ruled the Biden Administration’s changes to Title 9 were unconstitutional. Chris Hartman is the executive director of the Fairness Campaign.
“This is the type of thing we expect when we make progress forwards, there's always going to be pushback, and it doesn't mean that it's going to last forever,” Hartman said.
In his decision, Reeves wrote that the Biden Administration’s attempt to add nondiscrimination language for LGBTQ students exceeded the Department of Education’s authority. Hartman said the ruling was a strict and narrow interpretation of Title IX that doesn't progress with the times.
“There are trans kids in every school across the United States of America, and they deserve equal access to every aspect of school life, and that includes sports, restrooms, clubs and activities.”
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman and other Republican state AGs sued over the new rules, citing, among other things, a provision allowing trans students to use bathrooms aligning with their gender identity.
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