Title IX law

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What is Title IX law?

• • Title IX, also called Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, was signed into law by US President Richard Nixon on June 23, 1972.
  • The law is best known for its role in gender equity in athletics and preventing sexual harassment on campuses.
  • The law forbids discrimination based on sex in education, and despite its age remains a vital piece in the ongoing push for equality, including in the LGBTQ community.
  • Patsy Mink, a Democrat from Hawaii who was the first woman of colour elected to the U.S. House.
  • The statute says that “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
  • In simple words, the law is meant to ensure equity between men and women in education, and it’s broad, covering most K-12 schools and colleges and universities, as well as vocational schools, libraries and museums. 
  • The law applies to several areas of education: athletics, the classroom, sexual assault and violence on campus, employment, discrimination, admissions, retaliation and even financial assistance with tuition.
  • It also has been extended to other forms of gender and sex discrimination. Title IX was invoked when the Obama administration advised that transgender people should be allowed to use the bathroom of their choice in schools.
  • Women’s and men’s teams are to be treated equally under the law, and schools should look to expand the opportunities for women to play sports.
  • It also covers discrimination against pregnant people.
  • Nothing in Title IX or its federal regulations explicitly protects LGBTQ people, but the Biden administration said last year that the law should be interpreted to protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. 
  • Every school and college is supposed to have at least one Title IX coordinator, whose function is to make sure the institution is in compliance with all arms of Title IX. 
  • There are two types of complaints that can be filed under the law:  local and federal.
  • Those who believe their rights have been violated can also bring their cases to federal courts through Title IX lawsuits.
  • Title IX’s protections extend to sexual harassment on campus, including dating violence, domestic violence and stalking.
  • Under new Title IX regulations that were finalized in 2020, students who come forward with abuse allegations may now face an in-person hearing and cross-examination by a person chosen by the alleged attacker.  

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