Rep. Sherrill Blasts House Republicans’ Attempt to Roll Back Critical Title IX Protections for Students

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) released the following statement in response to House Republicans’ efforts to repeal the Biden Administration’s Final Title IX rule overhauling Trump-era regulations that harmed women, LGBTQ+ students, and survivors of sexual assault and harassment on campus. 

“For more than 50 years, Title IX has opened doors and allowed women to break barriers in the classroom and across campus. Now, we are working to live up to the spirit of Title IX to support survivors of sexual assault, ensure that women can thrive on campus, and protect LGBTQ students,” said Rep. Sherrill. “I am the mother of four kids and understand that we must beat back extreme attempts to bring back Trump’s dangerous policies that left victims of sexual assault and harassment without support or justice, subjected LGBTQ+ students to bullying and discrimination, and failed to adequately protect the rights of pregnant students.”

Under the Biden Administration’s new rule, Title IX regulations will now ensure that cases of sexual assault and harassment are appropriately handled by updating the definition of harassment, requiring that schools address incidents that happen off-campus, and requiring that schools address complaints from former students.

Additionally, this new rule ensures protections for the LGBTQ+ community by clarifying that Title IX protects students from discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation, or sex characteristics. 

Finally, the new rule also establishes explicit protection under Title IX against discrimination based on pregnancy status. For the first time, pregnant students have an affirmative right to reasonable accommodations, including lactation rooms for breastfeeding parents. 

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