Department Of Education Rule To Enshrine Protections For ‘Gender Identity’ Heads To White House

A policy that will codify protections for “transgender” students and change how schools respond to sexual misconduct on campus was sent to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review Friday, according to a government website.

The policy will unravel former Education Secretary Betsy Devos’ Title IX rule, which ordered schools to conduct cross-examination during sexual misconduct investigations and conduct live hearings of them, according to Politico. Democrats and civil rights groups have been pressuring the Department of Education (ED) to finalize the rule, which would codify protections for “gender identity.” 

“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring all students are guaranteed an educational environment free from discrimination on the basis of sex,” an ED spokesperson told Politico. “The Department of Education has taken the next step to advance a rule, first proposed in 2022, that strengthens protections for students from sexual harassment and for LGBTQI+ students.”