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Standing on the steps of the Capitol, Gov. Brad Little praised Idaho for being the first state in the country to pass a law. ban transgender women to participate in women’s sports.
“Idaho stands with female athletes,” the crowd chanted, shortly before Little signed an executive order that he said would ensure women and girls receive equal opportunities in sports.
The order directs the Idaho State Board of Education to work with the state Department of Education to ensure that public schools follow state laws on girls’ sports. Schools in Idaho are already required to follow state and federal laws.
Little’s order also directs the Idaho State Board of Education to update schools on legal challenges to the new Title IX rule, which would have expanded sexual discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity. A federal judge temporarily blocked the new Title IX rule to go into effect in Idaho and other states in June.
The State Board of Education is also directed to “ensure that every female student in Idaho is provided equal opportunity in sports and school to the fullest extent” guaranteed by the original rules of Title IX, the executive order read
“These girls and women and their families dedicate their time, passion and often their money to improve their skills, to compete and win,” said Little. “That’s why it’s so important for us as a state to do everything we can to protect and defend women’s sports.”
Little stood next to Riley Gaines, a former competitive swimmer who has been an outspoken voice against trans women participating in women’s sports, as Gaines talked about her experience competing with a trans woman..
“I can wholeheartedly attest to unfair competition,” he said. “I can attest with all my heart to the extreme discomfort in the locker room.”
Little: Title IX rule is a ‘radical redefinition of gender’
A federal judge in June ruled in favor of a preliminary injunction after four Republican attorneys general, including Idaho. Raul Labrador sued the federal government over the new Title IX rule, which the administration of President Joe Biden said would protect LGBTQ+ students in school. Labrador argued that the new regulations undermined the purpose of Title IX.
The new rule would have expanded sexual discrimination to include not only gender identity and sexual orientation, but also pregnancy or related conditions. The US Supreme Court rejected an attempt by the Biden administration to lift the blockade.
Little called the new Title IX rule a “radical redefinition of gender” and said it jeopardizes the work Idaho has done.
Idaho has been a leader in passing laws targeting LGBTQ+ people in the state. Many of these laws are now litigated.
A Boise State University student is suing the state after the Legislature passed a law banning trans women from sports that align with their gender identity in schools in 2020. Idaho asked the US Supreme Court to hear the case last month.
In recent years, lawmakers have also passed bills that would prevent transgender children from accessing gender-affirmation care, prohibiting teachers to use pronouns that differ from a student’s sex at birth without parental approval, and prohibit Medicaid and state health insurance funds from being used for gender-affirmation care.
