Staff Reports
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders stood strong on Thursday, declaring that Arkansas will not obey new federal rules that would forbid unfair treatment of LGBT students under federal law. This bold move comes as other Republican-led states, like Texas and Oklahoma, have also shown defiance against the Biden administration. Governor Sanders emphasized that Arkansas will persist in enforcing bathroom restrictions, even though they could be nullified by the new order from the Biden administration.
The legislation in question aims to clarify Title IX, a significant law initially enacted in 1972 to address women’s rights and is applied to schools and colleges that receive federal funding. The new rule makes it explicit that Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Despite Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona’s assertion that the new rule ensures safe and inclusive schools for everyone, Governor Sanders maintains that the Biden interpretation is illegitimate.
🚨 BREAKING: Arkansas Gov. @SarahHuckabee becomes the FIRST female governor to stand against Biden’s illegal #TitleIX rewrite & issue a pro-woman executive order that defines crucial sex-based terms like 'female’ & 'woman.’ Learn more ⤵️ @Riley_Gaines_ https://t.co/UKc2CGRJq2 pic.twitter.com/3ZaJ02GZqw
— Independent Women's Voice (@IWV) May 2, 2024
She expressed concern over President Biden’s “reinterpretation” of Title IX, which spans an overwhelming 459,000 words. Governor Sanders underscored the potential repercussions, indicating that if President Biden threatens to withhold educational funding from Arkansas for non-compliance, the state will take the federal government to court. She emphasized that this issue extends beyond individual cases, affecting the broader community.
Additionally, Texas and Oklahoma have passed comparable legislation, instructing schools not to adhere to the new federal law. Legal challenges have also been initiated in Alabama, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Texas. The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas has denounced the governor’s stance. Megan Bailey, a spokesman for the ACLU of Arkansas, labeled the act as a clear defiance of discrimination protection laws and a vigorous assault on the well-being and liberties of LGBTQ individuals in the state.
