Denver, CO – One Colorado released the following statements commending the Biden Administration’s finalized Title IX regulations, which clarify and update comprehensive  protections against discrimination in schools for all students, including LGBTQIA+ students – particularly transgender, nonbinary, and intersex students – as well as pregnant and parenting students, and students who are survivors.

“Today’s final rule from the Biden Administration is essential to ensure schools across the nation are aware of their legal obligations to support their students in understanding their rights, and to counter the widespread discrimination against LGBTQIA+ students to learn in safe and affirming environments,” said Nadine Bridges, MSW (she, her, hers), One Colorado Executive Director. “All students deserve to go to school and have the freedom to learn and be themselves without fear of harassment or discrimination. The Title IX rule changes help ensure schools are more inclusive and equitable so that all students can succeed.” 

Title IX’s promise has always been equal educational opportunity free from sex discrimination. Since its passage over 50 years ago, opponents have stopped at nothing to weaken crucial civil rights protections – including the protections against sexual harassment and against the rights of LGBTQIA+ students, particularly transgender, nonbinary, and intersex students. Today’s rule from the Biden Administration helps hold the line against these undermining efforts by:

Guaranteeing the rights of LGBTQIA+ students to come to school as themselves without fear of harassment or discrimination – including the right to:

• Attend school free of harassment based on their gender identity, sexual orientation, or sex characteristics. 
• Use the bathroom in accordance with their gender identity, ensuring that trans, nonbinary, and intersex students can use the restroom without fear of discipline, harassment, or violence. 
• Express their gender and sexual orientation at school and school-sponsored events, such as by dressing in accordance with their gender identity and attending prom with the date of their choice. 
• Participate in school extra-curricular activities and on school sports teams.

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Reversing the 2020 standards to restoring Title IX’s promise of strong protections for student survivors – including:

• Requiring schools to address Title IX complaints even if the reported harassment is not yet severe and pervasive; it occurred off campus or abroad; or the survivor is no longer enrolled at the school.
• Ensuring that students are no longer forced into uniquely unfair and potentially traumatic grievance procedures that favor harassers.
• Ensuring that more students have access to the resources they need to feel safe and supported at school.

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Ensuring that pregnant and parenting students have a right to equal education opportunities – including:

• Requiring accessible and affordable child care, increased funding for on-campus child care, access to quality early childhood education, transportation, food, lactation accommodations, housing, clothing, and mental health services.
• Ensuring that pregnant and parenting students can take voluntary leaves of absence and be reinstated to their prior status, so that they don’t have to choose between their health (or the health of their pregnancy or child) and their education.
• Requiring schools to reasonably accommodate pregnant and parenting students (instead of tying their accommodations to what is offered to temporarily disabled students), including by providing students with a lactation room.

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Students across races, places, and genders prove every day that they can do great things, especially when there are strong Title IX protections in place, which is why the Biden Administration’s updates to the Title IX rules are essential to ensure every student can thrive at school.

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One Colorado is the state’s leading advocacy organization building a brighter future for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) Coloradans and their families.