Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed a state executive order opposing the Biden-Harris Administration's final Title IX rule, documents obtained by Fox News Digital show.
The order is titled the “Protecting Women in Sports Act.”
The executive order directs the Idaho State Board of Education to ensure two things:
1. Work with the state Department of Education to ensure Idaho public schools are complying with all Idaho laws regarding fairness in girls' sports, and continue to keep all public schools updated as legal challenges to the new Title IX rules unfold.
2. Ensure that all female students in Idaho are provided equal opportunities in sports and school to the fullest extent possible as guaranteed by Title IX regulations and Idaho state law.
“These girls and women and their families give their time, passion and money to hone their skills and compete to win,” Gov. Little told reporters on the steps of the Idaho State Capitol in Boise on Wednesday. “They deserve a level playing field, which is why it's important that we do everything we can as a state to protect and preserve women's sports.”
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Riley Gaines, former women's college swimmer and host of Outkick “Gaines for Girls” He also spoke on podcasts and at press conferences.
Former college swimmer Riley Gaines is sworn in during a House Health Care and Financial Services Oversight Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill on December 5, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Drew Ungerer/Getty Images)
“I can testify with all my heart to this unfair construction, not only to the tears of mothers who watched in the stands as their daughters were defeated in the sport they once loved, but also to the tears of young girls who missed out on one chance to be named an All-American by placing ninth and 17th,” Gaines said. “I'm pleased to be here today with these lawmakers and to hear Governor Little state that Idaho will not comply.”
The current administration's final Title IX rules took effect this month, which aim to protect against discrimination “based on sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics.”
On August 16, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 to deny the current administration's emergency request to enforce parts of the new rules, including discrimination protections for transgender students under Title IX.
This request is Biological males allowed In 10 states where state and local-level rules are in place to prevent this, it's happening in women's restrooms, locker rooms and dorms.
The rule, issued in April, clarified that Title IX's prohibition on “sex” discrimination in schools also covers discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation and “pregnancy or related conditions.”
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Kamala Harris currently serves as the Vice President of the United States in the Biden-Harris administration. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Martin)
Little's executive order is the latest move to challenge the new final rules, which more than 20 Republican attorneys general have filed lawsuits challenging, arguing that the rules conflict with a portion of state law that bars transgender students from participating in girls' sports.
The Biden administration has argued that the restrictions are not about eligibility. Evidence presented In June, he made a statement to Fox News Digital denying Biden's claims.
In West Virginia, an incident occurred after the state passed the Women's Sports Protection Act in 2021, banning transgender girls from competing with biological girls in sports. After that, BPJ, a 13-year-old transgender middle school student in West Virginia, successfully obtained a federal court injunction preventing her from participating in girls' sports.
“We wanted to avoid sexual harassment of female players in the locker room and to prevent female players being removed from the team, but unfortunately West Virginia's role was only suspended with respect to one player during the litigation,” Rachel Rouleau, legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), previously told Fox News Digital.
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Idaho Governor Brad Little spoke on the second day of the CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) Washington DC conference at the Gaylord National Harbor Resort. (Lev Ladin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Gaines is currently in the midst of a lawsuit addressing the fact that she had to compete and share a locker room with biological males at the collegiate level. Gaines has agreed to testify in Georgia about her experiences competing and sharing a locker room with Leah Thomas, who is biologically male. She will be testifying along with four other NCAA All-American female athletes. Fox News Digital previously reported.
Gaines joined Independent Council on Women in Sports (ICONS) members Reka Giorgi, Kylie Arons, Grace County and Kaitlyn Wheeler in filing a lawsuit against the NCAA in March, alleging that the NCAA knowingly violated Title IX by allowing Thomas to compete.
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