Final Title IX rule enshrines protections for LGBTQI+ students
Naaz Modan
April 19, 2024
The Education Department’s long-awaited regulations also provide protections for pregnant students and employees.
The U.S. Department of Education on Friday issued its long-awaited Title IX rule, which for the first time enshrines protections for LGBTQI+ students and employees, as well as pregnant students and employees, under the civil rights law that prevents sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs.
“No one should have to give up their dreams of attending or finishing school because they’re pregnant,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in a press briefing late Thursday. “No one should face bullying or discrimination just because of who they are or who they love. Sadly, this happens all too often.”
Among other changes, the new rule defines sex-based harassment as including harassment based on sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, pregnancy and related conditions, and gender identity and sexual orientation. It cements federal protections for LGTBQI+ students and employees that have swung between administrations for over a decade.
