Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., Investigates Blue States Over Title IX Compliance
Senator Bill Cassidy, a prominent member of the Republican Party from Louisiana, has initiated an investigation into several blue states and Washington, D.C., over allegations of Title IX violations related to President Donald Trump’s executive order on transgender athletes in women’s sports. The probe, launched by Cassidy, focuses on whether these states are following Trump’s directive, which aims to reverse changes made under former President Joe Biden to Title IX, the law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs.
Cassidy’s investigation is particularly aimed at examining the inclusion of transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports programs, as well as policies allowing shared access to facilities like locker rooms and bathrooms. The scope of the probe includes California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Washington, D.C. These states are under scrutiny for allegedly failing to comply with Trump’s executive order, which restores Title IX to its 2020 version by defining ‘sex’ as biological and excluding gender identity as a protected category.
The senator has sent over 19 letters to state and college officials, accusing them of continuing to enroll males and females in sports teams that differ from their biological sex and promoting policies that allow shared access to facilities. In his correspondence, he argued that these actions violate the current interpretation of Title IX, which he claims was unlawfully expanded under Biden’s administration. Cassidy emphasized the importance of ensuring states comply with federal law, particularly in protecting female athletes from what he considers discriminatory practices.
The investigation occurs as the Supreme Court considers two significant cases that could redefine Title IX enforcement nationwide, including whether biological male athletes can participate in women’s sports. Cassidy, who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, has stated that Trump’s executive order aims to uphold the original intent of Title IX by reinstating the definition of sex as biological, which he believes was undermined by Biden’s changes.
Additionally, Cassidy has given state education agencies and colleges until December 8 to provide detailed information for his investigation. This includes data on Title IX policies related to gender identity, state laws protecting biological females, compliance steps with Trump’s order, and records related to complaints, parental notifications, and disciplinary actions involving students with objections to shared spaces. The outcome of this probe could have significant implications for the interpretation of Title IX and the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports across the United States.