Ed secretary pledges gender identity protections

GAZETTE FILE PHOTO

GAZETTE FILE PHOTO GAZETTE FILE PHOTO

By SAM DRYSDALE

State House News Service

Published: 01-19-2025 12:00 PM

BOSTON – The state’s top education official pledged Tuesday that Massachusetts schools would protect transgender students, even after a federal judge scrapped President Joe Biden’s expanded Title IX protections of LGBTQ students the previous week.

Biden sought to expand on the 1972 law that forbids discrimination based on sex in education called Title IX to also prevent discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation. He also sought to widen the definition of harassment and assault, and provided fresh protections to pregnant and parenting students.

Kentucky U.S. District Court Judge Danny Reeves ruled the regulations overstepped the president’s authority, calling it an “attempt to bypass the legislative process and completely transform Title IX.”

The rule had already been halted in 26 states, according to the Associated Press, but Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler said on Tuesday that Massachusetts would continue to push for enhanced protections of students based on gender identity.

“I’m sure that the broader community and my colleagues on the board are aware of the recent judgement related to Title IX. It’s important to convey that under the state constitution, Massachusetts schools can continue to afford enhanced protections based on gender identity and other characteristics reflective of our core values,” Tutwiler said at a Board of Higher Education meeting on Tuesday morning.

He continued, “We will continue with the same protections.”

As Biden’s regulations have been thrown out, incoming President Donald Trump may choose to return to reforming Title IX himself after he takes the White House next week. He previously promised to end Biden’s rules “on day one” and made anti-transgender claims on the campaign trail.

Meanwhile, the U.S. House of Representatives voted Tuesday to ban transgender girls and women from competing in school sports by withholding federal funds from schools that do not comply. The same bill passed the Republican-controlled House last term with no Democratic support, but was not taken up by the then-Democratically-controlled Senate.

Article continues after...

Yesterday's Most Read Articles

Two to face charges in death of NH woman found in Warwick
Cleanup of Wendell train derailment expected to take up to two weeks
By-right accessory dwellings now allowed in communities statewide
Athol boards wary of new high school plan
Nonprofits see threat in Healey plan to implement tax deduction cap for charitable donations
Freight train derails in Wendell, knocking 15 cars off tracks

Congressman Seth Moulton, who faced backlash last November for his comments about transgender athletes, put out a statement on Tuesday saying he would not support the bill.

Moulton made a comment to the New York Times that propelled him into national headlines about Democratic fallout following Trump’s most recent election: “Democrats spend way too much time trying not to offend anyone rather than being brutally honest about the challenges many Americans face. I have two little girls, I don’t want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat I’m supposed to be afraid to say that.”

He received backlash from Democrats and LGBTQ+ groups, which he said proved his point that Democrats cannot discuss difficult issues, he told The Boston Globe.

In his statement on Tuesday, Moulton said the Trump-supported bill coming to the floor Tuesday is not “the sort of balanced, fairness-oriented policy I’ve advocated for,” later calling the legislation “extremist.”

“To be clear, I firmly believe that there should be reasonable restrictions on transgender athletes in competitive sports,” he said. “This is a matter of safety and fairness for female athletes who have worked exceptionally hard to compete. ... The problem with this Republican bill, however, is that it is too extreme; it simply goes too far.”