After being sworn-in, Joe Biden signed an executive order enforcing schools of allowing transgender girls to compete in women's sports.
The order which Biden signed on the very day of his inauguration aims to prohibit discrimination based on a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. It would impact various areas such as health care, education, housing and employment but the most controversial issue surrounding the order is about transgender athletes, the Christian Headlines reported.
Titled "Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation", the executive order states that, "Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports".
According to the report, two transgender women won 15 state track titles for girls in Connecticut.
Biden's policy states that, "to prevent and combat discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation, and to fully enforce Title VII and other laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation."
Title VII of 1964 Civil Rights Act prevents discrimination in employment based on sex, color, race, religion or national origin. It would also apply to gender identity and sexual orientation in accordance with the U.S. Supreme Court's Bostock v. Clayton County decision.
Biden's executive order will apply Bostock's reasoning to several areas which include, but not limited to, education, employment, healthcare and housing.
"Under Bostock's reasoning, laws that prohibit sex discrimination - including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 ... prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation, so long as the laws do not contain sufficient indications to the contrary," the executive order says.
Title IX, as defined by Harvard University, is a federal civil rights law which is a part of 1972 Education Amendments. The law prohibits discriminating people on the basis of sex in education programs or activities that receive Federal financial assistance.
Biden's new directive is a reversal of the Trump administration's policy which held that schools are in violation of Title IX by allowing biological boys who identify as girls compete in sports for girls.
It is also contradictory to a bill Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard proposed in December, titled the "Protect Women's Sports Act."
"My 'Protect Women's Sports Act' is based on science. It safeguards equality and ensures a level playing field for girls and women competing in sports. It upholds Title IX's original intent which was based on the general biological distinction between men and women athletes based on sex," Gabbard said of the bill.
"Sad day for women's sports"
The legal counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom, Christiana Holcomb, said that Biden's executive order will impact sports in schools.
"Unfortunately, the Biden administration wasted no time in demanding policies that gut legal protections for women by denying female athletes fair competition in sports, ignoring women's unique health needs, and forcing vulnerable girls to share intimate spaces with men who identify as female," she said. "... This isn't equality, and it isn't progress. President Biden's call for 'unity' falls flat when he seeks to hold those receiving federal funds hostage if they don't do tremendous damage to the rights, opportunities, and dignity of women and girls."
A senior policy analyst at Jewish Institute for National Security for America, Erielle Davidson, was saddened by the executive order and said, "Sad day for women's sports. Women must compete against biological males at the risk of injury and loss of title, thanks to a new Biden executive order. Don't ever tell me this is a 'pro-woman'. It's not. It's destructive and malicious," The Sun reported.
Further, Journalist Abigail Shrier said of Biden's policy, "On day 1, Biden unilaterally eviscerates women's sports. Any educational institution that receives federal funding must admit biologically-male athletes to women's teams, women's scholarships, etc. A new glass ceiling was just placed over girls."
The Christian Headlines also said that University of Dallas' Ryan T. Anderson, through the Daily Signal, wrote, "In reality, it spells the end of girls' and women's sports as we know them. "And, of course, no child should be told the lie that they're 'trapped in the wrong body,' and adults should not pump them full of puberty-blocking drugs and cross-sex hormones."
Anderson also stated that to stop the executive order, litigation will be necessary.
