Department of Justice Launches Title IX Task Force to Protect Women’s Sports
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Education (ED) have launched a special task force dedicated to protecting female athletes from males trying to compete in their sports.
DOJ and ED announced the Title IX Special Investigations Team (SIT) on April 4 in order to “ensure timely, consistent resolutions to protect students, and especially female athletes, from the pernicious effects of gender identity in school programs and activities,” the DOJ said in a press release.
The Title IX SIT will “streamline Title IX investigations” by creating a specialized team of investigators from across ED and DOJ offices. It will also “allow personnel to apply a rapid resolution investigation process” to rising numbers of Title IX cases and facilitate ED and DOJ working together to “conduct investigations that are fully prepared for ultimate Justice Department enforcement,” the DOJ said.
Title IX is a federal civil rights law enacted in 1972 that prohibits sex discrimination in education programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. It was intended to provide equal opportunities for girls and women in education, and indeed led to an explosion in the number of girls and women competing in athletics.
In 2016, the Obama administration sent a “Dear Colleague Letter” encouraging schools to redefine “sex” to include “gender identity.” Many schools and states developed transgender policies based on this, allowing students to engage in school activities and access sex-segregated facilities based on the pseudo-scientific concept of gender identity.
The letter was rescinded by the Trump administration in February 2017.
In 2021, the Biden administration’s ED attempted to radically redefine “sex” in Title IX to include “sexual orientation” and “gender identity,” thereby destroying Title IX’s purpose and forcing schools to permit men to compete against women.
Thankfully, multiple federal courts blocked the Biden administration’s policy, and after his inauguration on January 20, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order ensuring the rule does not have any effect.
DOJ cited a “staggering volume” of Title IX complaints in its announcement as the impetus for the new task force.
Just last week, the Daily Citizen reported on two Title IX complaints filed by Alliance Defending Freedom. One of the complaints asks the ED’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to intervene to prevent two young female athletes in Washington from being forced to compete against a male.
The creation of the taskforce follows President Trump’s executive order, “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports” which makes it the policy of the United States to protect female student athletes from being forced to compete against or having to appear unclothed before males.
“Protecting women and women’s sports is a key priority for this Department of Justice,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi in a statement, adding,
The Title IX SIT includes:
- ED Office for Civil Rights investigators and attorneys
- DOJ Civil Rights Division attorneys
- ED Office of General Counsel attorneys
- ED Student Privacy and Protection Office case workers and an FSA Enforcement investigator
“Today’s establishment of the Title IX SIT will benefit women and girls across this nation who have been subjected to discrimination and indignity in their educational activities,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon in a statement, adding,
McMahon noted that traditionally, OCR takes months, or even years, to complete Title IX investigations.
“OCR under this Administration has moved faster than it ever has, and the Title IX SIT will ensure even more rapid and consistent investigations,” the secretary said, concluding,
Some on the Left have recently claimed that there are “no” examples of young women being forced to compete against men. This claim was made by none other than Chase Strangio, ACLU LGBTQ & HBI Rights Project co-director, who insisted in a recent interview that there are “no examples of men impersonating women” in women’s sports. Strangio is a woman who identifies as a man.
“There are no examples … that I’m aware of,” Strangio asserted. The lawyer argued at the Supreme Court in December that Kentucky’s law protecting children from harmful and damaging transgender medical interventions should be struck down.
Strangio apparently needs to change his news sources, as we’ve repeatedly chronicled many such appalling incidents over the years. And according to the DOJ, there are a “staggering number” of active Title IX complaints.
The website SheWon.org lists 1,519 female athletes in 44 sports who have lost sports events, scholarships, records or other opportunities to transgender-identified athletes through 2024.
All girls and women deserve to be able to participate in athletics free from fear of male bodies invading their sports and spaces. We thank the DOJ and ED for taking this important step to streamline investigations into alleged Title IX violations thereby better protecting girls and women across the nation.
If you’re concerned about what your child is being taught in school, check out this updated, free resource from Focus on the Family and Family Policy Alliance: Equipping Parents for Back-to-School.
We want parents to feel confident and equipped to manage issues affecting public – and private and online – schooling. The FREE downloadable resource helps you be aware of what’s going on in your child’s classroom and offers guidance for how to advocate for your child in the school year ahead.
Related articles and resources:
Addressing Gender Identity with Honesty and Compassion
The Journey Back to My True Identity
ADF Files Civil Rights Complaints to Protect Female Athletes, Parents
Payton McNabb, Injured Volleyball Player, Wins Title IX Victory
Department of Education Launches Multiple Investigations Into Title IX Violations
Trump Signs Executive Order Protecting Women’s Sports and Spaces
Photo from Getty Images.
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