The Columbus Board of Education on Tuesday passed a resolution announcing its official opposition to an Ohio Board of Education resolution that targets new LGBTQ student protections from the Biden administration.
The rules in question expand Title IX protections to LGBTQ students. They force schools to investigate claims of sex-based discrimination or risk losing federal funding from the USDA for free and reduced meals programs.
The state resolution from Ohio Board of Education member Brendan Shea said sex is an "objective, scientific fact" and "under the proposed rules, schools would be required to grant access to sex-separate restroom and locker room facilities based on gender identity rather than on biological sex, which would place girls and women at increased risk for harassment and sexual assault by males who claim a female identity."
All major medical groups, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, have voiced their support for gender-affirming care.
The Columbus resolution denouncing the state proposal is sponsored by board member Eric Brown, who called Shea's resolution ugly and offensive.
"The resolution introduced by State Board Member Shea undermines the steps taken to ensure all students are afforded the invaluable protections under Title IX and advocates for the exact discrimination that Title IX was developed to protect against," the Columbus resolution reads.
It passed Tuesday on a unanimous vote.
