Republican states challenge new Title IX rules protecting LGBTQ+ students

By COLLIN BINKLEY
AP Education Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican states are filing a barrage of legal challenges against the Biden administration’s newly expanded campus sexual assault rules, saying they overstep the president’s authority and undermine the Title IX anti-discrimination law. At least three federal lawsuits were filed on Monday seeking to have the new rules overturned. Cases were filed in Alabama, Louisiana and Texas, with backing from a combined nine Republican-led states. The lawsuits are the first to challenge Biden’s new Title IX rules, which expand protections to LGBTQ+ students and add new safeguards for victims of sexual assault. The policy was finalized in April and takes effect in August. The Education Department did not immediately respond.