ALEXANDRIA, La.  (WNTZ) – Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday, April 30, against the Biden administration on behalf of the Rapides Parish School System regarding new Title IX changes.

The Biden administration announced on April 19 that the new rules include gender identity, so schools must use a student’s preferred pronouns and gender to provide services.

Advocates for LGBTQ youths say this ensures protections for a vulnerable population.

Opponents say forcing men into women’s sports, bathrooms and locker rooms guts Title IX.

On Monday, April 29, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said her office filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education challenging the new Title IX changes. State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley also has issued a letter to school boards saying that following the federal guidelines could cause them to violate state law, and he advised them against it.

ADF also filed Rapides Parish School Board v. United States Department of Education to combat the changes. In a news release, they say the case argues that the changes will make schools commit “widespread harms on young people and deny free speech on campus.”

“The Biden administration’s radical redefinition of sex turns back the clock on equal opportunity for women, undermines fairness, and threatens every student’s safety and privacy,” said ADF Senior Counsel Natalie Thompson. “The administration continues to ignore biological reality, science, and common sense. The Rapides Parish School Board, and other schools and teachers across the country, are right to stand against the enforcement of this extreme gender ideology, which will have devastating consequences for students, teachers, administrators, and families.”

According to the ADF news release, the Rapides Parish School Board serves more than 20,000 students on 42 campuses.

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