Trump revokes rules that protected LGBT+ students in US schools
Trump revokes Biden administration rules that expanded protection for LGBT+ students against discrimination in US schools and universities
The government of Estados Unidos president, Donald Trump, formally repealed rules that expanded the protection of students against sex discrimination in U.S. schools and universities. The standards had been implemented during the administration of Joe Biden and explicitly included cases related to sexual orientation and gender identity.
The decision was announced by the Education Department of Estados Unidos and removes from the federal registry the regulation passed in 2024. With this, the rules established during Trump’s first term in 2020 are formally enforced again.
Change involves Title IX
The regulations adopted during the Biden administration broadened the interpretation of so-called Title IX, federal legislation from 1972 that prohibits discrimination based on sex in educational institutions that receive funds from the federal government.
In 2024, the U.S. government began to expressly interpret that protection also encompassed discrimination related to sexual orientation and gender identity. The measure reached students and staff of schools and universities funded with recursos federais.
The rules also broadened the definition of harassment based on sex, including situations related to sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as sexual assault, domestic violence and violence between partners.
The government is back to 2020
With the repeal, the Department of Education officially returned to the regulation created in 2020. These rules adopt a narrower definition of sexual harassment and establish broader procedural guarantees for students charged in disciplinary proceedings.
Estados Unidos Education Secretary Linda McMahon reported that the 2024 regulation was removed from the federal registry. According to her, the government had been adopting the previous rules since January 2025.
Some of the rules approved by the Biden government had already faced questioning and judicial blockades in the Estados Unidos. Therefore, according to information published by the US press and reproduced by Agência Brasil, the immediate effect of the formal revocation tends to be limited.
