Court halts Title IX change in South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S..C. (WSPA) – The Title IX change meant to accommodate students and teachers’ “gender identity” is taking effect on Thursday around the country except in a few southern states.

Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that Title IX is blocked from taking effect right now in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama.

The Title IX change requires any school receiving federal funding to accommodate students’ and teachers’ “gender identity.”

If eventually passed in the state, Title IX would allow biological males who identify as female and use women’s bathrooms and locker rooms and vice versa.

The pause comes as questions arise into if the law is being stretched.

“What the attorney general’s office is saying is that the Biden administration does not have the authority to extend title IX to locker rooms and bathrooms and things like that, Law Partner with Ellis and Hinton Law, Brandi Hinton said. “That the definition of the sex of a person is not what was contemplated under title IX.”

Students and teachers would also be required to use preferred pronouns.

“I am religious,” a Greenville resident said. “I love Jesus and that’s just how I have always been brought up. Adam and Eve came separately and that just how I feel.”

“If you have an open conversation with your teachers and you feel you are something that is different than what you appear to be then that is fine,” a woman visiting from Maryland added.

Attorney General Wilson said the pause is “a big win in our fight to protect children.”

Some here in South Carolina say they agree.

“I believe they are trying to feed things into our kids that shouldn’t be like that,” Manuel Peralta, a father said. “Our kids should have their own opinion and be brought up as God made us. You are a guy or a girl.”

Others say if changes to Title IX take affect it would be fine but with certain restrictions.

“If they use the same bathroom there should be no urinals for the girls to come in and see,” a mother, Deb Cook said. “If it is all behind closed doors, I think it is fine.”

With uncertainty of what’s to come, many tell us they are left with mixed emotions and several questions.

“There’s lots of questions, an Ohio woman added. “What’s wrong with what we have is my question. What’s wrong with what we have?”

The next step for the attorney general’s office is to apply for another injunction pending appeal, pausing Title IX from passing for even longer. The would have to do that in the next week.

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