Matt Bush, FISM News
Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona appeared before the House Appropriations Committee Tuesday to defend proposed changes to Title IX that would make it illegal for schools to ban transgender students from participating on sports teams that do not align with the gender they were assigned at birth.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, Title IX states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
Based on the fact that there are two sexes, and Title IX exists to protect students from discrimination based on their sex, one of the key components of Title IX is defining what each sex is. Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.), in what would become a tense exchange, asked Cardona to do just that, define “woman.” He first simply asked, “What is a woman?”
“Our focus at the department is to provide equal access to students, including students who are LGBTQ, access free from discrimination,” Cardona answered, clearly dodging the question.
What is a woman?
Joe Biden’s Education Secretary REFUSES to answer. pic.twitter.com/JUSWwiJtLR
— Rep. Andrew Clyde (@Rep_Clyde) April 18, 2023
It was at this point the exchange got heated, and the more Clyde pushed for an answer, the clearer it became that Cardona would not supply one.
“So what’s the definition of a woman?” Clyde questioned Cardona for the second time. “You haven’t given me that. You haven’t answered my question.”
“I think that’s almost secondary to the important role that I have as Secretary of Education,” Cardona responded.
This back-and-forth continued for multiple questions even to the point that Clyde asked Cardona’s opinion of biological males being able to enter girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms, like they were in Loudoun County.
“It’s critically important that we make sure all students feel safe in their school environment,” Cardona responded. “It means that the perspective of all students should be taken into account when decisions are made around facilities.”
Miguel Cardona and the Department of Education that he leads are tasked with enforcing Title IX, legislation that was created specifically to protect and advance the athletic and educational pursuits of females in school.
The question must be asked, if Cardona cannot define “woman,” how can he protect the rights and advance the opportunities of women?
The Proposed Changes to Title IX
The proposed changes to Title IX, as stated on the Department of Education website, are also very difficult to understand.
The text of the proposed change to Title IX is, “If a recipient adopts or applies sex-related criteria that would limit or deny a student’s eligibility to participate on a male or female team consistent with their gender identity, such criteria must, for each sport, level of competition, and grade or education level: (i) be substantially related to the achievement of an important educational objective, and (ii) minimize harms to students whose opportunity to participate on a male or female team consistent with their gender identity would be limited or denied.”
According to Newsweek, “Members of both sides of the political aisle have ridiculed the Biden administration after proposed changes to Title IX involving transgender student athletes.”
The proposed changes to Title IX are vague and seem to discourage schools from banning transgender students from participating in sports while at the same time stating that in some instances it is ok to ban them from those same sports.