As the world watches the Olympic Games, opening ceremony notwithstanding, I am working to bring attention to the Biden administration’s upcoming changes to Title IX, which are set to go into effect on Aug. 1, 2024, and hoping they do not get overlooked. 

Protecting the original Title IX legislation is the preeminent civil rights issue of our time.

As a former collegiate athlete who reaped the benefits of being able to compete and succeed, I am deeply concerned about the dangers regressive and misogynistic changes pose to women’s rights to equal opportunity, privacy and safety. 

More than half the states have filed suit against the U.S. Department of Education and Secretary Miguel Cardona over President Biden’s Title IX changes. (Getty Images)

Over the past couple of months, more than half the states – 26 – have filed suit against the U.S. Department of Education and Secretary Miguel Cardona over Biden’s proposed Title IX rules, arguing that the scope of the regulation exceeds the department’s authority as a federal agency. 

FEMALE ATHLETES JUST SCORED FIFTH ‘W’ AGAINST BIDEN-HARRIS ATTEMPT TO REWRITE TITLE IX

The states contend that the changes violate the principles of the landmark 1972 law that outlaw’s sex-based discrimination at all schools receiving federal funding by banning discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. 

Additionally, 19 states have blocked the Biden administration’s Title IX updates, preventing them from going into effect. This is encouraging news – I do not believe we would have seen this decisive action two years ago. 

Here are the four most detrimental changes for girls.

WOMEN UNDER BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S TITLE IX CHANGES FACE THE ‘EVISCERATION OF LEGAL WOMANHOOD,’ EXPERTS SAY

Men Can Take Scholarship Money From Girls

One of the most alarming aspects of these changes is the fact men are taking scholarships meant for women, both academically and athletically. This change is more severe than the obvious unfairness of men competing with women. 

The scholarships that women receive are often a lifeline to a better future they might not have been awarded otherwise. Many women may not have been able to pursue higher education if it were not for the financial aid Title IX scholarships provide.

Women’s Safety and Privacy in Jeopardy

Beginning Aug. 1, men will have full access to women’s once sex-protected bathrooms, locker rooms and changing spaces as long as they declare they feel like a woman. The new policies could mandate boys be housed in women’s dormitories. A college-aged man having unrestricted access to women’s living quarters and intimate areas like locker rooms is like the fox guarding the henhouse.

BIDEN’S WOKE TITLE IX RULE IS SO INSANE, IT FORCES KIDS AND TEACHERS TO LIE

Compelled Speech on Pronouns

Under the new Title IX rewrite, any student, faculty member, coach, employee or persons affiliated with a program that receives federal funding would be required to use biologically incorrect pronouns under the guide of preventing "hate speech." 

If you do not follow these rules, you would be violating a federal law, potentially resulting in sexual harassment charges or a loss of funding. "Hate speech" does not mean something said that you hate.

Erosion of Due Process in Sexual Assault Cases

The changes to Title IX do not only adversely affect women; men’s sex-based protections are at risk as well.

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Title IX changes could make it easier for accusations to lead to severe penalties without adequate evidence. This shift could undermine the fundamental principle of innocent until proven guilty, turning campuses into environments where due process is a secondary consideration. The accused no longer has a right to a trial-like, live hearing with cross-examination, and the parties have no right to introduce expert witness testimony. 

The rewrite allows for the return of the "single investigator" model, in which a single administrator serves as prosecutor, judge and jury. America’s college students are less likely to receive justice if they find themselves in a Title IX proceeding under the Biden-Harris administration as they would have under the Trump administration.

The Democratic Party has labeled itself the party "of and for" women, but how can you claim to defend what you cannot define? The irony and hypocrisy would be hilarious if millions of women did not have to live with the consequences.

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I established the Riley Gaines Center at the Leadership Institute to educate and empower women to advocate for policies that promote fairness and safety for us. We must demand that the original intent of Title IX be upheld.

I’ve seen social media posts from people who say they are voting for Kamala Harris because she is a woman. Well, I’m voting for Donald Trump because I am a woman.

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