New Title IX rules strengthen protections for trans students but don’t address sports bans

The Department of Education on Friday announced new rules updating Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, the federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded schools.

The new regulations — which explicitly protect all students from discrimination, including survivors of sexual assault and those who identify as LGBTQ — advance the landmark civil law’s promise of “ensuring that no person experiences sex discrimination in federally funded education,” the Education Department said in a news release.

“For more than 50 years, Title IX has promised an equal opportunity to learn and thrive in our nation’s schools free from sex discrimination,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said Friday in a statement. “These final regulations build on the legacy of Title IX by clarifying that all our nation’s students can access schools that are safe, welcoming and respect their rights.”