NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Two weeks into this office at the top of Tennessee's legal helm, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti initiated a formal complaint letter Monday against the U.S. Department of Education in its efforts to add gender identity protections under Title IX.
As written, the Title IX education amendment controls federal funds to institutions as works to ensure no gender discrimination. The department wants to add the language "gender identity" under sex, as defined by the law. This hits at the heart of transgender athletes playing on the team they identify with gender-wise.
"For 50 years, Title IX has protected girls and women and enhanced their educational opportunities,” said General Skrmetti. “The proposed regulations will hurt women, violate the Constitution, and create confusion as to what the law is and what the law requires.”
Already in Tennessee, student-athletes have to prove their sex matches what their birth certificate says based on a law from 2021. In April of this year, Gov. Bill Lee signed another law that would add harsh penalties against public schools that allow transgender athletes to participate in girls’ sports.
Tennessee is joined in the letter by the attorneys general of the following states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.
