Photo courtesy of the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office
Louisiana has filed suit against the federal government for changing its Title Nine rules to protect LGBTQ students from discrimination. Murrill says the new rules disregard the concept of a person’s biological sex and provides protections based on gender identity.
“The Biden Administration wants to change the meaning of words, in doing so, change the entirety of federal laws that’s now how this works, Congress writes the laws, not an administrative agency or an administration,” Murrill said.
Murrill says the new title nine rules could result in boys and girls sharing locker rooms, bathrooms and perhaps lodging on over night field trips with members of the opposite sex.
The Louisiana House has approved a bill that would prevent transgender children from using the bathroom that does not align with their biological sex. Director of Forum for Equality Sarah Jane Guidry calls it harmful legislation and it’s why the U.S. Department of Education needs to protect transgender students.
“We have trans youth where 35% of them are reporting they are being harassed in a bathroom or their facilities because of their identity,” Guidry said.
Several other states led by Republicans are also suing the U.S. Department of Education in trying to prevent these new Title Rules from going into effect. Governor Jeff Landry fully supports Louisiana’s legal effort.
“We do not intend to comply, we are not going to pretend that there is some other form of sexual category other than the one that the almighty has set forth,” Landry said.
Director of Louisiana Trans Advocates, Peyton Rose Michelle, says Louisiana’s government leaders continue to try and erase trans individuals.
“Attack trans and queer students every year during legislative sessions and we know that and among other things is just increasing suicidality among trans and queer kids,” Michelle said.
