District Court Rules that Federal Government Cannot Force Kentucky, to Allow Biological Males to Compete On Female Sports Teams

Tuesday, July 19, 2022 at 9:16 AM

By Josh Myers @Wikicountry

Earlier this year, the General Assembly passed Senate Bill 83 to protect the integrity of women’s sports in Kentucky

FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 18, 2022) – Action by Attorney General Daniel Cameron and a coalition of attorneys general led a federal district court to stop the federal government from enforcing new, expansive, and unlawful guidance on federal antidiscrimination laws. The now-enjoined guidance, issued by the U.S. Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, attempted to interpret Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to force schools to allow biological males to compete on girls’ sports teams and to prohibit sex-separated showers and locker rooms.

“As young women across the Commonwealth work hard to compete in sports they love, we must work to preserve the integrity of women’s sports and ensure an even playing field for girls and young women,” said Attorney General Cameron. “The federal government’s flawed guidance in this area jeopardizes decades of progress in women’s sports, and I’m grateful that our lawsuit stopped the new guidance from moving forward.”

Last year, the federal government issued an interpretation of the prohibition on sex discrimination found in Title IX to include discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The attorneys general argue that this interpretation is based on a flawed understanding of the Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton County.

Earlier this year, the General Assembly passed Senate Bill 83 to protect the integrity of women’s sports in Kentucky. The bill was vetoed by Governor Beshear, and the veto was overridden by the General Assembly. Attorney General Cameron pledged to defend the law in court if it was challenged.

The following states joined Attorney General Cameron in the Tennessee-led lawsuit against the federal government’s guidance: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, and West Virginia.

To read the district court’s ruling, click here.