By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – A U.S. federal judge has blocked an attempt by outgoing President Joe Biden to redefine the meaning of sex as “gender identity” in Title IX, a law to create “equal opportunities” for women and girls in education and athletics.
The U.S. District Court Eastern District of Kentucky Northern Division’s decision in the so-called “Cardona v. Tennessee” case on Thursday was welcomed by attorneys for Christian educators and a female high school athlete.
Critics of Biden’s “gender identity” policies feared it could lead to abuse of women in girls in, for instance, locker rooms and unfair competition in sports by men and boys identifying as “female.”
The federal judge ruling on the case agreed with those concerns. “When Title IX is viewed in its entirety, it is abundantly clear that discrimination on the basis of sex means discrimination on the basis of being a male or female,” explained the court. “As this Court and others have explained, expanding the meaning of ‘on the basis of sex’ to include ‘gender identity’ turns Title IX on its head.”
The court’s opinion added that “While Title IX sought to level the playing field between men and women, it is rife with exceptions that allow males and females to be separated based on the enduring physical differences between the sexes.”
The latest ruling came as a victory for attorneys of the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a non-profit legal group providing legal assistance to a West Virginia high-school female athlete, and Christian Educators Association International in the lawsuit alongside the state of Tennessee.
‘COLOSSAL WIN’
“This is a colossal win for women and girls across the country,” said ADF CEO, President, and General Counsel Kristen Waggoner in remarks obtained by Worthy News.
“The Biden administration’s radical attempt to redefine sex not only tossed fairness, safety, and privacy for female students out the window, it also threatened free speech and parental rights. With this ruling, the federal court in Kentucky rejected the entire Biden rule and the administration’s illegal actions,” Waggoner added.
Waggoner stressed, “We are thankful for the leadership of Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and other state attorneys general who challenged this blatant overreach alongside our courageous clients. This ruling provides enormous relief for students across the country, including our client who has already suffered harassment by a male student in the locker room and on her sports team.”
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti shared the ADF’s joy over the court ruling, calling it “Another massive win” for the U.S. state of Tennessee and the country. “This morning, a federal court ruled in our favor and vacated the Biden administration’s radical new Title IX rule nationwide. The court’s order is a resounding victory for the protection of girls’ privacy in locker rooms and showers, and for the freedom to speak biologically-accurate pronouns,” he wrote on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Biden’s “emergency request” to enforce portions of the new rule that would have included “protection” from “discrimination” for transgender students in sports under Title IX.
Biden’s overturned rule claimed that Title IX’s ban on “sex” discrimination in schools covers discrimination based on “gender identity” as well as sexual orientation and pregnancy or related conditions.
STUDENT CONCERNED
However, 15-year-old Adaleia Cross, who has loved sports all her life, was among the most vocal students against that broad interpretation of the law.
She said she saw no other way than to legally challenge Biden’s gender policies as she had been forced to compete against—and share a locker room with—a male teammate who identifies as a girl.
In the locker room and out on the track, the male athlete allegedly made vile, sexual, threatening, and demeaning remarks to Adaleia and other girls.
“Most teenagers are uncomfortable sharing restrooms, locker rooms, and hotel rooms with the opposite sex,” Adaleia wrote in a recent opinion piece.
“Sharing private space is hard enough, even with a sibling, a friend, or someone your same age and sex. It’s that much harder if you’re sharing with someone who’s none of those things — especially if that someone is making crude, sexually harassing comments,” she added.
“I put up with that all through middle school. I chose to join my school’s track team, running the 4 x 100-meter races, pole vaulting, and throwing shot put and discus. It was fun, and I was competitive — one of the top three girls in my school for those latter two events.”
TOUGH COMPETITION
However, “That all changed when a male a grade behind me chose to identify as a girl and joined our team — focusing on the same sports I did. As seasons passed, I soon saw how male size and strength could beat even my greatest efforts — and those of most other girls, too.”
She claimed, “Over these last two years, this student has displaced almost 300 female athletes — beating them in competition and taking their places at meets — over 700 times.”
And, “I saw a lot of that firsthand,” she realized called. “Almost every day, in the locker room, out on the track, and in the throwing pits for discus and shot put, this student made crude, sexually explicit comments about me and other girls — many of which I found physically threatening,” she wrote on the Fox News website.
“And yet, I was expected to change clothes in front of — and go to the restroom in the same room with — the male making those comments. Some of us began wearing school clothes to practice or our practice clothes to classes just to avoid changing in front of this one student.”
The ADF said her concerns prompted their attorneys to file lawsuits on behalf of Adaleia and other girls just like her.
“No girl should be made to endure what Adaleia has, yet the federal government’s new Title IX rule changes [would] allow men into women’s locker rooms and restrooms. These are the harms that happen to women when we redefine “sex” to include “gender identity,” as the Biden administration has.”
The ADF stressed that “God has made each person in His image, either male or female—something that cannot be changed. And living against this vital and commonsense truth will only result in harm to the women and girls in our lives.”
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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