New York Attorney General Letitia James has entered the national controversy over transgender youth in school sports by co-leading a coalition of 12 state attorneys general calling on the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) supporting the inclusion of these student athletes.
“Activist state legislatures across our nation are passing hateful bans that discriminate against transgender students, and these attacks on their most basic rights will not be tolerated,” said James in a press statement.
The state attorneys general sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona expressed support for aspects of the proposed national rule that would prohibit institutions that receive federal funding from excluding transgender students from school sports. The letter also recommended revisions to the rule that would guarantee the inclusion of all transgender students in school sports until they reach the level of “elite college athletics” ”“ and even at that level, provide them with rights and due process protections.
The letter also called on the Biden Administration to clearly state that rules under Title IX do not prohibit states from establishing broader protections for transgender athletes under their own state anti-discrimination laws.
“When we prioritize policies that uplift equity and inclusion, everybody wins,” James said. “Transgender students deserve to enjoy and participate in the same opportunities as their peers, and I will always fight to defend every individual”™s right to live a full life as their authentic self.”
James and New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin share the leadership of this coalition, which includes the attorneys general of California, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
