Title IX protection extended to transgender students amid surge of legislation attacking their rights

The Department of Education announced Wednesday that transgender students are now protected under Title IX. The federal civil rights law, passed in 1972, protects people from discrimination based on sex, and now, gender identity and sexual orientation, in any educational setting that receives federal aid. 

"The Supreme Court has upheld the right for LGBTQ+ people to live and work without fear of harassment, exclusion, and discrimination — and our LGBTQ+ students have the same rights and deserve the same protections," Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement. "Today, the Department makes clear that all students — including LGBTQ+ students — deserve the opportunity to learn and thrive in schools that are free from discrimination." The announcement comes amid a difficult year for LGBTQ+ youth. A recent survey from The Trevor Project found that of the nearly 35,000 LGBTQ youth between the ages of 13 and 24 who responded to the survey, 70% said that over the past year, their mental health was "poor" at least most of the time. More than half of transgender or nonbinary youth reported they seriously considered attempting suicide, the survey found.