U.S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran says East Texans are against new Title IX regulations, that would ‘treat boys as if they were girls’

TYLER, Texas (KETK) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott released a letter on Wednesday “instructing” the state’s higher education leaders to ignore revisions made to Title IX, a federal law prohibiting public schools from discriminating based on sex. Rep. Nathaniel Moran spoke in Congress claiming East Texans are against the new regulations.

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Title IX, a regulation imposed by the U.S. Department of Education, “strengthens vital protections for students in our nation’s schools and provides clear rule to help schools meet their Title IX obligation to eliminate sex discrimination in their education programs and activities.”

Moran spoke to Congress on Tuesday, claiming the new regulations, which are set to take effect on Aug. 1, are an attack on women’s sports. Moran said that East Texans feel the new rules are “an inexcusable federal assault towards girls and women that has no place in schools.”

According to Moran, Van ISD said in a letter, “the changes to Title IX forces schools to treat boys as if they were girls and to accept every student’s self declared gender identity.” KETK’s request to Van ISD for the full letter has not yet been returned.

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Moran said Title IX rule is immoral and offensive to women across the country.

The final regulations, according to the Department of Education, include:

• Protect against all sex-based harassment and discrimination: The final rule would protect employees and students from sex discrimination by restoring full protection from sexual violence and other sex-based harassment. This would also protect against discrimination based on sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characterizes.

• Promote accountability and fairness: This would provide accountability by requiring schools to take swift action to end any sex discrimination in their programs and activities. Schools would be required to respond to all sex discrimination complaints with transparent and reliable process to evaluate all evidence.

• Empower and support students and families: The final rule would protect against retaliation for students and employees, requiring schools to communicate their nondiscrimination polices and procedures to all parties involved so that students and families understand their rights.

In April 2023, Moran voted for the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023, and said Title IX’s ignorance of biological differences between males and females would threaten women’s opportunity in sports, undermining it’s efforts for equality.

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“Earlier this month, the Biden Administration proposed new Title IX rules that would prohibit public schools and universities from banning male athletes from competing in sporting events with girls and women,” Moran said. “The proposed Biden rule would likewise prohibit states from protecting the integrity of women’s and girls’ sports. This ruling would prevent women and girls from competing on a level playing field in sports and it ignored the biological differences between men and women.”

In June 2023, Abbott also signed legislation prohibiting transgender women and girls from competing in collegiate athletics. Save Women’s Sports Act, also known as S.B. 15, mandates that intercollegiate athletes only participate in sports that matches their “biological sex” which the legislation defines that as what is stated on a student’s original birth certificate.

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