20 States Sue Education Department Over Transgender Restroom, Pronoun Guidance

20 States Sue Education Department Over Transgender Restroom, Pronoun Guidance
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona testifies before the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee in Washington on June 16, 2021. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
Bill Pan
Bill Pan
Reporter
|Updated:

Attorneys general from 20 mostly Republican-run states are suing the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), seeking to stop the enforcement of what they say is an “erroneous interpretation” of Title IX, the federal law that bans sex-based discrimination in schools.

The states, led by Tennessee, asked the court to block a guidance (pdf) issued this June by the Education Department. In a “Fact Sheet” attached to the guidance letter, the Department warns that it may launch a Title IX investigation if a school prevents a student from joining a sports team or using the restroom or locker room that aligns with the student’s gender identity.