Senate Republicans Applaud Tennessee Attorney General for Defending Arizona Women, Girls Against Biden's Radical Title IX Rule

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                

Thursday, January 9, 2025

Senate Republicans Applaud Tennessee Attorney General for Defending Arizona Women, Girls Against Biden's Radical Title IX Rule

PHOENIX, ARIZONA— In the absence of Attorney General Kris Mayes stepping up to the plate to defend Arizona women and girls from a radical rule implemented by the Biden Administration that redefined "sex" in Title IX, Arizona Senate Republicans are praising Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti for his work leading to a federal court blocking the unlawful rule change.

Last April, the Biden Administration announced the rule change redefining "sex" in Title IX to include "gender identity." This rule required schools to allow boys and men in girls' and women's private spaces like restrooms and locker rooms, on their female-only sports teams, and to disregard other sex-based protections created for the safety, security, and well-being of biological females within federal law.

While Attorney General Mayes sat on the sidelines, Attorney General Skrmetti lead a coalition of states in a legal fight against this blatant big government overreach. Today, a federal court invalidated the rule, making it unenforceable and reinstating the protections of Title IX for women and girls across the country.

"We are grateful for the conservative attorneys general nationwide who are working tirelessly to protect women and girls from bigger, stronger boys and men, while the radical Left continues to ignore not only science, but common sense," said Senate President Warren Petersen. "Women and girls are fighting an uphill battle as progressives try to undo the protections created for them, including Arizona's Save Women's Sports Act, which the Republican-led Arizona Legislature is currently litigating while Arizona's own Attorney General refuses to do so."

Recently, Senate President Petersen spent a day in deposition defending the Save Women's Sports Act because Attorney General Mayes is unwilling to protect this important law.

"This is a big victory for the women and girls who've had athletic and educational opportunities stripped from them at the hands of biological males posing as females, but there is still much more work to be done," said Senator Sine Kerr. "While Governor Hobbs vetoed last year the Arizona Women's Bill of Rights, Senate Republicans have vowed to continue to push legislation that safeguards women and girls on the playing field, in their bathrooms, their locker rooms, and anywhere else carved out specifically for them. Our daughters, granddaughters, nieces, and neighbors deserve to feel safe and supported, and it is our duty as elected officials to ensure their protection."

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For more information, contact:

Kim Quintero

Director of Communications | Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus

kquintero@azleg.gov