HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — Attorney General Jason Miyares joined nearly two dozen other Attorneys General in a coalition urging the Biden Administration to uphold Title IX protections for women and girls on Tuesday.
In April, the Department of Education proposed a bill to prohibit "all-out bans" against transgender athletes.
The opposing Attorneys General have sent multiple letters to the department, stating their issues surrounding privacy and fairness.
Miyares spoke in a statement about the "biological difference" in men and women.
"Biological men and women have genetic differences, that's just a scientific fact. Many of those biological differences often lead to men being taller, stronger and faster, therefore putting them at an athletic advantage," Miyares said. "That's exactly why we have women's sports, and why Title IX exists, to create an environment where our female athletes can thrive, be competitive and be celebrated."
Miyares said in the statement that the federal government is overstepping Congress and individual states by "forcing every public school to allow biological boys to play on the girls' teams, threatening the future of women's sports and disregarding the privacy and safety of teenage girls."
On the other side of the issue, many transgender advocates say regardless of sex, students should have equal sports opportunities in educational institutions.
According to the Virginia High School League (VHSL), between 2014 and 2022, 28 students have filed appeals seeking to play as a trans athlete on the team that matched their gender identity.
Twenty-five of the requests were granted.
