President Biden signs executive order protecting transgender athletes in school sports
In one of his first acts as president Joe Biden reverses the Trump policy regarding transgender athletes
Only twenty-four hours into his presidency Joe Biden has already taken a big step towards protecting the rights of transgender athletes looking to participate as their identified gender in both high school and college sports.
READ MORE: Breonna Taylor grand jurors call for Daniel Cameron’s impeachment in new petition
According to reports, Wednesday, Biden made it clear that his administration would be asking federal agencies to enforce last year’s US Supreme Court decision that expands the definition of sex discrimination to also include discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
“Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports,” the directive states. “Adults should be able to earn a living and pursue a vocation knowing that they will not be fired, demoted, or mistreated because of whom they go home to or because how they dress does not conform to sex-based stereotypes. People should be able to access healthcare and secure a roof over their heads without being subjected to sex discrimination.”
Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign, has applauded this move as the most “wide-ranging” executive order concerning sexual orientation and gender identity ever issued by a U.S. president.
“We have a new administration that values inclusion, and we have a government that has a responsibility to represent all of us,” David said in an interview, according to the Washington Post.
Earlier this week Biden announced his decision to nominate Rachel Levine, Pennsylvania’s top health official, as his assistant secretary of health, which would make her the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Despite the support from LGBTQ+ groups, not surprisingly, conservative groups have already spoken out against the measures, with the hashtag #BidenErasedWomen trending on Twitter by Thursday.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!
