Iowa sues Biden administration over Title IX rules protecting trans students, abuse survivors

Iowa is joining a lawsuit against the Biden administration's changes to rules governing Title IX that are intended to protect sexual abuse survivors, as well as transgender students and other LGBTQ youth, from gender- and sex-based discrimination.

The suit is led by Arkansas and Missouri and also includes Nebraska and North and South Dakota. Together they make up one of several state coalitions who have sued to block new rules, announced last month, overhauling rules for colleges responding to sexual assaults and establishing new definitions protecting pregnant students and those identifying as queer or trans from discrimination.

Critics, including the states joining Iowa in the current lawsuit, say the new rules would force schools to let transgender and nonbinary students share locker rooms and restrooms with female students, and would penalize students who oppose transgender rights on religious grounds.

Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds on Monday called for the state to sue over the rules. In a statement, she said President Joe Biden is "marginalizing girls and women" by including gender identity and sexual orientation in Title IX.

"There are undeniable and important biological differences between males and females," Reynolds said. "It's a fact that cannot be denied, no matter how inconvenient it is for the president during an election year. While he caves to the radical left, I will continue to protect the rights of women of all ages."

In depth: Why did Biden update Title IX? How it affects students, survivors of abuse, LGBTQ kids

Attorney General Brenna Bird, a Republican, described the new rules as a "war on women."

"With Biden’s radical gender ideology mandate, he has not only robbed young women of the opportunity to safely compete and succeed in the sports they love, he has violated their privacy," Bird said in a statement. "No schoolgirl should be forced to change next to or share shower spaces with boys. I am suing to stop Biden’s war on women and protect girls in schools."

The new rules do not directly address whether schools can restrict transgender athletes from competing in sports, although another proposed rule, still moving through the administrative process, would allow transgender students to play on teams consistent with their gender identity, with some exceptions.

More: Updated Biden administration rules will soon affect students across US: What to know

In 2022, Reynolds signed a law banning transgender women and girls from competing in female sports at Iowa schools, colleges and universities.

The new Title IX rules also reverse rules adopted during the Trump administration bolstering the rights of people accused of sexual assault on school campuses, which Biden described before his election as a "green light to ignore sexual violence and strip survivors of their rights.” The new policy lowers the standard for schools to consider someone guilty of sexual misconduct, requires schools to respond to a broader range of alleged sex-based discrimination, and does away with requirements that suspects be given live hearings before disciplinary action.

The new lawsuit, filed in Missouri federal court, does not address those aspects of the Title IX changes, but argues the rule as a whole is unconstitutional, goes beyond the administration's statutory authority, and should be set aside.

From January: What has Iowa AG Brenna Bird sued the feds over in her first year? Quite a lot

USA Today contributed to this report.

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.

William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com or 715-573-8166.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa sues Biden over Title IX changes protecting LGBTQ students