In a significant ruling on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Anna M. Manasco in Birmingham, Alabama, refused to block the Biden administration’s new anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ students. This decision marks a departure from six other judges who have deemed these rules invalid.
Judge Manasco, appointed by former President Donald Trump, dismissed various claims from Alabama and three other Republican-led states – Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina – challenging the U.S. Department of Education’s guidelines. These guidelines interpret Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits sex discrimination in educational settings, to also encompass gender identity and sexual orientation.
In her 122-page ruling, Judge Manasco stated that the plaintiffs’ assertions were “conclusory and unsupported by legal precedent.” She added, “While the Plaintiffs may disagree with the Department’s regulations, they have not demonstrated a substantial likelihood of success in proving that the Department’s rulemaking was either unreasonable or inadequately explained.”
The regulations, set to take effect on Thursday, prohibit harassment of LGBTQ students, including actions such as refusing to use a transgender student’s preferred pronouns. They also modify the procedures schools must follow when investigating allegations of student misconduct.
This case is part of a broader legal challenge, with 26 Republican-led states filing lawsuits against the rule. Six other judges have halted the enforcement of the rule in 21 of those states pending the outcome of related lawsuits. Federal appeals courts have declined to stay two of those rulings affecting 10 states during the Biden administration’s appeals.
The Education Department issued the rule in April, clarifying that Title IX’s ban on sex-based discrimination also covers discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The Department cited the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, which determined that workplace discrimination against gay and transgender individuals violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The states challenging the rule argue that Bostock was more limited than the Department suggested and that the agency lacked the authority to redefine the scope of Title IX protections. They contend that the rule would prevent schools from segregating bathrooms and locker rooms by sex, forcing them to either violate their own laws or lose federal education funding.
Judge Manasco, however, stated that Title IX does not limit the definition of sex to biological distinctions and affirmed the Education Department’s interpretation of the law as reasonable in light of the Bostock ruling. She also noted that the Department had addressed concerns regarding bathrooms and related issues in its rulemaking process.
“Ultimately, the Plaintiffs’ arguments do not assert that the Department exceeded reasonable bounds, but rather that they disagree with the policies,” Judge Manasco concluded.
This ruling represents a significant victory for the Biden administration and LGBTQ rights advocates. However, with ongoing legal challenges in other states, the future of these protections remains uncertain. The case underscores the complex intersection of federal anti-discrimination laws, state policies, and evolving societal understanding of gender and sexuality in educational settings.
Citations:
[1] https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/us-judge-upholds-lgbtq-student-protections-win-biden-administration-rcna164454
[2] https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-judge-upholds-protections-lgbtq-students-first-win-biden-administration-2024-07-30/
[3] https://today.westlaw.com/Document/I4f9072a04ed211ef9997fe4c23749aac/View/FullText.html?contextData=%28sc.Default%29&transitionType=Default
[4] https://lavendermagazine.com/big-gay-news/u-s-judge-upholds-lgbtq-student-protections-in-a-win-for-the-biden-administration/
[5] https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1818644051685417125
[6] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLbL0KnzlGU
[7] https://www.alturi.org/news_items/us-judge-upholds-protections-for-lgbtq-students-in-first-win-for-biden-administration/
Last modified: June 20, 2025
