Gov. Greg Abbott orders Texas schools to defy federal nondiscrimination rules

WASHINGTON — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday the state will ignore new federal regulations that require government-funded schools to protect gender identity under rules prohibiting sex discrimination.

Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination at universities and K-12 schools that receive federal money, but Abbott said the new rules go too far.

“I am instructing the Texas Education Agency to ignore your illegal dictate,” Abbott said in a letter to President Joe Biden. “Your rewrite of Title IX not only exceeds your constitutional authority, but it also tramples laws that I signed to protect the integrity of women’s sports by prohibiting men from competing against female athletes.”

Abbott announced his order shortly after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge to block the rules, which also protect sexual orientation, asserting the Biden administration overstepped its authority and misinterpreted Title IX.

The confrontation represents the latest clash between conservative Texans and the Biden administration on a host of issues, including immigration enforcement and abortion access.

Paxton has filed dozens of lawsuits against the Biden administration.

Like many others, the latest lawsuit was filed in Amarillo, a single-judge division, making it almost certain the case will be heard by Matthew Kacsmaryk, a federal district judge with socially conservative views who was appointed by former President Donald Trump.

The U.S. Education Department said Monday it does not comment on pending litigation but provided a general statement saying all federally funded schools must comply with the final regulations.

—The Dallas Morning News

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