The U.S. Department of Education announced Sept. 28 that it had formally removed Biden-era updates to Title IX which tackled sex-based discrimination related to gender identity and sexual orientation.
The changes go into effect immediately. Instead of the 2024 Title IX rules created under the Joe Biden presidency, universities — including UTD — will have to use the 2020 Title IX rules made during Donald Trump’s first presidency.
The new rule from the Department of Education states that Title IX no longer covers gender identity or sexual orientation discrimination in any state.
“We’re officially restoring Title IX’s original promise under the Trump Administration’s 2020 rule—bringing back clear, commonsense protections,” U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said when she announced the change. “Girls’ sports are for girls, and boys’ sports are for boys.”
UTDBP3102, also known as the “Sexual Misconduct Policy,” was last revised Aug. 20, 2026. The current version of this policy, which is used by the Title IX office on campus, includes explicit protections against discrimination based on “gender, gender identity or sexual orientation.”
The Retrograde reached out to the Title IX office which did not immediately provide comment. An automatic reply from the Title IX office indicated that they were currently “experiencing a high volume of inquiries and report submissions.”
Texas was one of the 26 Republican-led states which sued the federal government when the 2024 Title IX regulations were first implemented. A Texas federal judge sided with Attorney General Ken Paxton in Aug. 2024. Since 2024, Texas schools have not been required to protect LGBTQ+ students with the Title IX process if they experience discrimination on campus. UTD policy has continued to provide students with protection against sexual orientation and gender identity-based discrimination despite this.
Student Government Diversity, Equity and Belonging Chair Nivedha Maniv said that she was fearful that university administrators would remove protections for LGBTQ+ students in the wake of this federal-level change.
“It has been a really difficult time on campus for LGBTQ students and allies,” Maniv said. “We’ve seen gender neutral housing and the pride wall removed in recent semesters. I hope administrators realize that continuing down this path will make countless students feel hopeless and scared. As if their university does not care about them or listen to them.”
Maniv said that she hoped to see administrators act bravely in the defense of students so that no one felt like they were unsafe on campus because of their sexual or gender identity.
“We want UTD to be a safe place,” Maniv said. “We want people to come to our school, we want our students to feel safe and like, they have a say at what happens at their school. So I think it’s important that we act fast to preserve anti-discrimination protections.”
This is a breaking news article. The Retrograde will provide additional information on all courses being cut and additional details as information comes in.