Washington D.C., May 18, 2023 / 12:20 pm
Catholic bishops and educators are asking the Department of Education to reject a proposed rule change that would force K–12 schools and higher education institutions to allow biologically male students to participate in female athletics in certain cases if they receive federal funding.
The proposed rule would amend the current regulations set by Title IX to restructure how schools must address transgender issues in athletics. The rule would require institutions to allow some students to participate in athletics programs that match their self-proclaimed gender identity, even if it is different from the student’s biological sex.
The proposal would prevent across-the-board policies that restrict male sports to biological men and female sports to biological women but would allow schools that receive federal funding to limit participation in sports on a case-by-case basis. Schools, colleges, and universities would need to show, in individual cases, that limiting participation to biological males or females is necessary to preserve competitiveness or safety in that case.
A public comment filed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the National Catholic Educational Association, and The Catholic University of America on May 15 urges regulators to reject the proposal. The comment was filed on the last day of the public comment period.