Photos courtesy of Susan DuBose, Alabama Attorney General's Office
State Rep. Susan DuBose, R-Hoover, left, and Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall are scheduled to speak at a town hall meeting on Title IX at the North Shelby Library on Monday, July 1, 2024.
Two nonprofit groups are holding a town hall meeting at the North Shelby Library next week to discuss the implications of the Biden administration’s new Title IX policy.
The U.S. Department of Education is attempting to change the definition of sex to include gender identity and sexual orientation as protected classes under Title IX.
Entities that fail to abide by that change risk losing federal funding, which could have broad implications for K-12 schools and postsecondary education institutions, said state Rep. Susan DuBose, R- Hoover, one of the scheduled speakers at the town hall meeting.
The state of Alabama on April 28 filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the rule change, which is scheduled to take effect Aug. 1.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, another scheduled speaker at Monday’s meeting, and state schools Superintendent Eric Mackey the next day advised public school districts across the state not to take any steps to implement the new Title IX rule while the challenge is being heard.
DuBose said the new rule would erode the power of what Title IX has done for women over the past 50 years, damaging protections for women not only in sports but also in regard to scholarships and educational opportunities.
The 5th and 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals already have issued injunctions against implementation of the rule change while challenges in those jurisdictions are being heard. Alabama’s challenge in the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is similar, and a hearing on that challenge is scheduled for Monday in Birmingham, DuBose said.
Later that night, the town hall meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the North Shelby Library.
The town hall meeting is being sponsored by the Moms for Liberty nonprofit and Local Alabama nonprofit.
Moms for Liberty, which has a chapter in Shelby County, describes its mission as being “dedicated to fighting for the survival of America by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government.”
Local Alabama is a nonprofit that describes itself as a “grassroots initiative aimed at engaging organizations and educating citizens in order to preserve constitutional values and policies in Alabama.”
Some opponents of the new rule change argue that unless the state or local school districts stop taking federal funds on Aug. 1, boys could be allowed in girls bathrooms and locker rooms if they identify as females, and boys could participate on girls’ athletic teams.
They also argue that boys would be allowed to stay in girls rooms on overnight school trips if they identify as females and that boys could be placed in a dorm room with girls if they identify as female.
A teacher or student could be subject to a Title IX investigation and litigation if they don’t refer to a student or teacher by preferred pronouns and gender identity, and boys could take scholarships designated for girls if they identify as female, opponents argue.
Some groups that advocate in favor of the U.S. Department of Education’s rule change say it ensures every student has the freedom to learn and to be themselves. However, it doesn’t go far enough, according to the National Women’s Law Center.
“We call on President Biden and his administration to finish the job by providing further clarification for inclusive protections in athletics and robustly enforcing Title IX to ensure all students, including transgender, nonbinary, and intersex student athletes, realize the law’s full protections,” that organization says on its website.
Both advocates and opponents of the rule change are asking people to attend Monday’s town hall meeting. A similar town hall meeting is scheduled for Aug. 12 at the Guntersville Recreation Center.
