Latest news with #TitleIXMonth
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Letters to the Editor: False information being spread in case of transgender athlete
I am writing in response to the Naperville Sun article, 'Meeting packed with supporters/opponents of trans student athletes,' published Wednesday, June 4. I support transgender people and our top-ranked Naperville public schools. I thank Naperville schools for their continued support of all children. Hours of comments at the two recent Naperville District 203 School Board meetings would have been unnecessary if not for Awake Illinois, an anti-LGBTQ+ hate group, exposing the face and details about a transgender child. The majority of attendees supported transgender rights. Anti-transgender speakers made numerous false claims, including: 1. Some said the child involved is a boy. False. Transgender girls are not boys. The repeated phrase of 'boys in girls' sports' is a slur, not a fact. 2. No child in Naperville District 203 has 'pretended to be a girl' to win at sports. 3. No transgender females have changed or showered in locker rooms with cisgender girls. Gender accommodations are discussed among the student, their family and the school. 4. No federal law supersedes state law in this sports competition case. 5. There is no such thing as Title IX Month nor has it replaced Pride Month. An executive order creating Title IX Month has no legal standing. Title IX protects all students from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Awake used an isolated case to discriminate, marginalize, intimidate and erase transgender people and to call for defunding public schools. Naperville District 203 Policy 7:10 explicitly states that equal education and extra-curricular opportunities shall be available for all students regardless of gender identity. Policy 7:20 states that harassment of students is prohibited based on gender identity. The relentless bullying of transgender people by the current Trump administration and hate groups like Awake Illinois contributes to the distress of trans children, their families and allies. Awake and MAGA extremists try to foment fear of transgender people and destroy public schools, whose mission is to educate all students, give all students equal opportunities, and make all students feel valued and welcomed. Transgender athletes in sports warrant study by the scientific community. Decisions must not be dictated by Christian nationalists or others who hate transgender people, deny their existence or aim to erode their rights. Lies about trans kids must not be used to try to defund public schools. Being transgender is not an ideology, but one of many natural ways to be. Transgender people want to live their lives just like everyone else.
Axios
4 days ago
- General
- Axios
Trump admin rolls back LGBTQ+ gains during Pride Month
The Trump administration isn't celebrating Pride Month, but rather walking back initiatives to recognize LGBTQ+ communities. The big picture: It's a part of a larger repeal of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts by the administration, which have contributed to an increasingly hostile climate for LGBTQ+ people in the U.S., particularly for transgender individuals. State of play: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the White House has "no plans" to make a proclamation for the month of June. That marks a reversal from the yearly "Pride Month" proclamations and elaborate celebrations under former President Biden. Meanwhile, the Department of Education on Tuesday announced it's recognizing June as Title IX Month, "commemorating women and celebrating their struggle for, and achievement of, equal educational opportunity." Flashback: Trump didn't issue presidential proclamations celebrating Pride in his first term either, only marking the occasion with a social media post in 2019. Zoom in: In the first few days of Pride Month, the administration has taken steps to target LGBTQ+ recognition efforts. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Navy to rename a ship that bears the name of gay rights pioneer Harvey Milk. Hegseth is "committed to ensuring that the names attached to all DOD installations and assets are reflective of the Commander-in-Chief's priorities, our nation's history, and the warrior ethos," Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement. The FBI on Monday requested tips from the public on hospitals, clinics or practitioners performing gender-affirming surgeries to youth, putting that care among transgender youth under close scrutiny. Trump threatened to cut funding to California if it continues to allow transgender athletes to compete in women's sports, doubling down this week after a trans high schooler won state championships. "President Trump is protecting women in sports and restoring common sense," spokesperson Harrison Fields told Axios Tuesday. The National Park Service planned to close Dupont Circle in D.C. to bar people from celebrating Pride, but later reverted. Between the lines: Minnesota state Rep. Leigh Finke told Axios that while acts of violence are not directly tied to the Trump administration, his policies and the "language of dehumanization and ... language of eradication" have consequences. Our thought bubble via Axios' Russell Contreras: Trump's pullback on Pride comes as the nation is set the celebrate the fourth anniversary of Juneteenth becoming a national holiday.
Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville D203 board meeting packed with supporters/opponents of transgender student athletes
For the second time in a month, a Naperville District 203 School Board meeting was packed by people supporting and opposed to a transgender student athlete's right to participate in a girl's track meet. For nearly 90 minutes Monday, attendees debated the rights of students to participate in school sports aligned with their chosen gender following a junior high school track meet at which a transgender student reportedly raced alongside girls and won some of the events. Awake Illinois filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights alleging the district violated Title IX safeguards for 'engaging in sex-based discrimination within education programs or activities that receive federal funding.' Members of Awake Illinois and their supporters Monday held bright yellow signs with such messages as 'Stop Exploiting Kids,' 'Freeze Federal Funds' and 'Defend Title IX,' and argued that allowing trans students to participate in girls' sports harms female athletes and their access to fair competition. Shannon Adcock, a Naperville resident who founded Awake Illinois, said the U.S. Department of Education announced it is recognizing June as Title IX Month in honor of the the 53rd anniversary of the law. Title IX provides women protections on the basis of sex in all educational activities, including their rights to equal opportunity in sports and sex-segregated intimate spaces, according to a news release Monday from the U.S. Department of Education. 'Throughout the month (of June), the department will highlight actions taken to reverse the Biden administration's legacy of undermining Title IX and announce additional actions to protect women in line with the true purpose of Title IX,' the release said. June is also Pride Month, which celebrates the LGBTQ+ community. LGBTQ+ supporters, who waved transgender rights flags and carried signs promoting inclusion, told the school board that excluding trans girls hurts an already marginalized community, who are at a greater risk for violence, sexual assault and suicide. 'Nobody voluntarily signs up to be bullied to the level that trans students are by both other children and adults,' said Charlee Friedman, director of operations for Trans Up Front, adding that families in the district asked for the organization's support to advocate for their children. Friedman said 21 trans children in Illinois have committed suicide this year. Bullying 'has become so emboldened since the Trump administration,' she said. 'We are here to protect children, to protect their lives,' Friedman said. Several speakers denounced Awake Illinois for spreading videos of the track meet and the minor student's image on social media. Derek Miller said he was disappointed by the behavior of some adults in the community. 'There were adults sharing photos, videos and the name of this student at the center of the controversy, and this is a child,' he said. '… I want to emphasize these are children who are being attacked.' While he understands points on both sides of the issue, some might be promoting the issue in order to 'go viral' or to appear on cable news stations, Miller said. 'That is disgusting, and it needs to stop,' he said. 'Our kids should not be treated as political pawns.' 'They outed, targeted and doxxed a transgender girl in your district … all because she ran in a track meet and won,' Peter Rivera said. 'Some parents were upset and instead of dealing with it privately like adults, they handed the child over to a hate group. There are good faith arguments about integrating trans athletes in their sports, but this wasn't a discussion. This was a smear campaign, a lynching, a coordinated effort to shame and endanger a teenager.' Diana Piedra said it was shameful Awake Illinois shared videos of the athlete. 'The only way to fight hate is with love,' she said. Other speakers Monday said girls' rights were being infringed by allowing trans athletes to participate in their sports. 'Most of America believes girls sports should be protected,' Adcock said. '… Boys sports. Girls sports. It is that simple.' Laura Hois, a Naperville Central graduate and co-chair of the Downers Grove chapter of Awake Illinois, said 'boys are boys and pretending they are girls is a lie.' Trans rights does not supersede the rights of female athletes,' Hois said. 'I think it's terribly sad and tragic that today this District 203 is allowing boys to intrude in girls sports,' she said. 'District 203 is subjecting itself to liability for violation of girls' constitutional rights, for violation of civil rights laws, for violation of Title IX and violation of common sense.' Some speakers said just because someone was born male doesn't mean they have an automatic physical advantage over girls. 'Exclusion invites gender policing that could subject any girl to invasive tests or accusations of being too masculine or too good at her sport … to be a 'real girl,'' Tim Rhodes said. 'Trans athletes and cis gender athletes all vary in ability as do we all.'
Time of India
5 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Pride Month 2025: Donald Trump says June will be celebrated as Title IX month – here's what it means
The Trump administration renames June as Title IX Month. This move marks the 53rd anniversary of the law. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in education. The Education Department plans actions to protect women. They will reverse Biden's transgender policies. Investigations are launched at universities. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads What is Title IX and why is it being highlighted now? What actions are being taken under Title IX Month? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads What's the history behind Title IX? FAQs June is commonly known as Pride Month, but this is changing under Donald Trump's administration. The United States Department of Education has now designated June as Title IX Month move undermines Pride Month by shifting the federal focus to protecting women's spaces and reversing Biden-era transgender policies in schools and athletics. Controversy has quickly ensued in the aftermath of this Trump administration has officially designated June as " Title IX Month ," marking the 53rd anniversary of the landmark 1972 law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education.A recent report from the U.S. Department of Education , released on Monday, June 2, announced that June is set to be a month dedicated to honoring women and celebrating their achievements in the pursuit of equal educational Department would announce further actions to protect women in line with the true purpose of Title IX throughout the month and highlight actions taken to reverse the legacy of undermining Title IX under the Biden Administration, as quoted in a report by report also stated that two "investigations into the University of Wyoming and Jefferson County Public Schools in Colorado for allegedly allowing males to join and live in female-only intimate and communal spaces" are being launched by the department's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) as part of the first-ever Title IX Month.'By prohibiting sex-based discrimination in federally funded programs, #TitleIX opened countless athletic & academic opportunities for women & girls across the country. This month, we celebrate Title IX's 53rd anniversary & will take more action to protect women's hard-earned rights,' the department's official page also stated in an X of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title IX, is a federal civil rights law. Title IX's primary purpose is to outlaw sex-based official language of Title IX reads: "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."Harvard University's explanation of Title IX states that "Title IX regulations guide how colleges and universities, including Harvard, must respond to sexual harassment and other sexual misconduct through appropriate grievance procedures, supportive measures, and related policies," as quoted in a report by to Fox News, "Dept of Education labels June as 'Title IX Month' in wake of trans athletes winning girls' competitions."No, the Department of Education has officially recognized Title IX aims to celebrate women's educational rights while also criticizing Biden's transgender policies.
Epoch Times
5 days ago
- General
- Epoch Times
US Education Department Designates June as ‘Title IX Month'
The Department of Education is recognizing June as 'Title IX Month' and intends to announce several policies this month aimed at protecting women's rights at educational institutions, the department said in a June 2 Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities receiving federal funding.
