Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden Administration Finalizes Title IX Protections For LGBTQ+ Students
AP: Biden’s New Title IX Rules Protect LGBTQ+ Students, But Transgender Sports Rule Still On Hold
The rights of LGBTQ+ students will be protected by federal law and victims of campus sexual assault will gain new safeguards under rules finalized Friday by the Biden administration. The new provisions are part of a revised Title IX regulation issued by the Education Department, fulfilling a campaign pledge by President Joe Biden. He had promised to dismantle rules created by former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who added new protections for students accused of sexual misconduct. Notably absent from Biden’s policy, however, is any mention of transgender athletes. (Binkley, 4/19)
ESPN: Title IX: Athletes Can Play Amid Sexual Misconduct Inquiries
New federal regulations released Friday will prevent colleges and coaches from suspending athletes accused of sexual misconduct while school officials investigate complaints against them. (Lavigne, 4/19)
USA Today: 'These Are Biological Males': Alaska State Rep Says Title IX Doesn't Apply To Trans Kids
An Alaska bill criticized for weaponizing civil rights law against transgender girls has moved closer to becoming law after being approved by the state House Judiciary Committee last week. Proposed by Republican state Representative Jamie Allard, the legislation aims to ban transgender students from participating in K-12 sports teams. If signed off by Gov. Mike Dunleavy, the Final Frontier will join 24 other states with similar legislation. (Wright, 4/17)
Also —
Los Angeles Blade: GOP AGs Abused Power Demanding Trans Medical Records
In a 10-page report released on Tuesday by staff for the Democratic majority of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, the Republican attorneys general of Tennessee, Missouri, Indiana, and Texas are accused of using “abusive legal demands” to collect the medical records of transgender patients in furtherance of the AGs’ “ideological and political goals.” According to the document, which is titled “How State Attorneys General TargetTransgender Youth and Adults by Weaponizing the Medicaid Program and their Health Oversight Authority,” the AGs used specious or misleading legal pretexts to justify their issuance of civil investigative demands to healthcare providers.(Kane, 4/17)
