June 23, 2022: 50th Anniversary of Title IX

WHEREAS, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination in all areas of education, protecting students and staff in any educational institution that receives federal funds; and,

WHEREAS, Title IX has, in the 50 years since its passage, expanded opportunities for women and girls in sports and in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields and improved protections for pregnant and parenting students; and,

WHEREAS, according to AAUW research, 56% of female students and 40% of male students grades 7-12 and two-thirds of college students experience sexual harassment; and,

WHEREAS, girls have 1.2 million fewer chances to play sports in high school than boys and less than two-thirds of Black and Hispanic girls play sports, while more than three-quarters of white girls do; and,

WHEREAS, only 21% of engineering majors and 19% of computer science majors are women, and the rate of women’s enrollment in certain nontraditional careers remains at low levels, with some fields well below 25% in women’s representation; and,

WHEREAS, pregnant and parenting students are often steered toward separate, less rigorous schools; and,

WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Education has worked to systematically dismantle Title IX protections in recent years, rescinding multiple important guidance documents in 2017 and releasing a new rule in 2020 with significant harmful implications for students’ civil rights and federal enforcement of Title IX; and,

WHEREAS, proposed changes to current Title IX regulations would not be enforced until 2024, leaving students and survivors of sexual harassment and violence without the resources and support they need now; and,

WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Education announced in 2021 that it would interpret and enforce Title IX to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and on gender identity, an important step to ensure protections for LGBTQ+ students; and,

WHEREAS, we must now pass the Gender Equity in Education Act, which would codify protections designed to help students address sex discrimination in all areas of education and ensure educational institutions have the resources needed to comply with Title IX regulations; and,

WHEREAS, Title IX must be strengthened and vigorously enforced to protect students’ civil rights;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, do hereby proclaim June 23, 2022, as the 50^th Anniversary of Title IX.