WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Ralph Abraham has introduced legislation intended to stop what he believes is overreach by President Obama on directing public schools to allow students to use bathrooms and locker rooms of the opposite sex.
A member of Alto Baptist Church, Abraham introduced the bill that amends Title IX by clarifying the term ‘sex’ refers to the biological gender of the individual. Enacted in 1972, Title IX was originally passed to provide a more equal playing field for male and females in athletics and other after-school programs.
“For 40 years, society and law have interpreted Title IX to refer to a person’s biological sex,” Abraham said in a news release. “Now the President and liberal activists are distorting that meaning to circumvent Congress to enact their radical social agenda. My bill removes any ambiguity in the law to ensure that Title IX’s true intent is respected. Transgender bathroom policy decisions should be made on the local and state levels, not by an over-reaching Executive Branch that twists the law to suit its own purposes.”
Issued on May 13, the order signed by Department of Education and Justice officials threaten to pull federal funding for schools that do not comply. A letter on the matter was sent to all school districts in the U.S. The letter said a school can provide separate facilities based on the gender, but transgender students must have access to those facilities for which sex they identify.
Reaction by pastors, some Louisiana school districts and even the Louisiana attorney general all voiced opposition to the mandate.
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry announced on May 18 that he would vigorously defend the state and its citizens from unlawful action threatened by the Obama Administration’s recent mandate that public schools allow students to use bathrooms and locker rooms of the opposite sex. In a letter to the leaders of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, Board of Regents, Louisiana High School Athletic Association, Louisiana School Boards Association, Louisiana Community and Technical College System Board, and Office of Juvenile Justice – Landry asserted the administration’s threat to remove the state’s Title IX monies jeopardizes the safety of the student body and creates a public education funding crisis.
Abraham said that policies regarding transgender bathrooms should be made on the local and state levels and not by the Executive Branch.
“The American people are sick and tired of their voices in Congress being ignored by a president who tries to rule like a dictator,” Abraham said. “Laws are made in Congress, not the White House. The President has no authority to ignore Congress and impose sweeping societal changes that fly in the face of the law, and he certainly has no authority to withhold congressionally appropriated funds to schools that fail to comply with his agenda. Congress should swiftly pass my bill to show the people that their Congress will not stand for an Executive Branch that ignores our Constitution.”
