On Wednesday, Attorney General Steve Marshall filed to block the Biden administration's recent changes to Title IX law dealing with gender identity.
In April, the U.S. Department of Education announced an update to the Title IX code, the sweeping name given to civil rights legislation prohibiting sex-based education discrimination. The changes, which are set to go into effect in August, add gender identity and sexual orientation to the list of federally protected groups.
Opponents say it would abolish the distinction between male and female sports and do away with female-only spaces like locker rooms and bathrooms.
Marshall swiftly joined Alabama State Education Superintendent Eric Mackey in demanding that Alabama's public schools not implement any Title IX changes since they likely conflict with state law. Now, he is seeking the court's help to prevent the rule from going into effect while the matter is adjudicated.
"Following our lawsuit against the Biden Administration last week, today, we have taken the additional step of asking the court to immediately halt the new Title IX rule," Marshall said. "I will not allow Alabama's schools to be hijacked by this Administration and its radical gender ideology. Our schoolchildren are worth the fight."
Gov. Kay Ivey emphatically stated last week that Alabama would not comply with the Title IX changes, voicing support for Marshall's lawsuit against the rule.
Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, the Independent Women's Forum and Parents Defending Education and Speech First have also joined the suit challenging the rule.
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