Biden turns to transgender rights in discrimination rules redraft

The Biden administration is nearing 바카라사이트 point of issuing new rules addressing sex-based discrimination in US education just as 바카라사이트 question grows ever more complicated for students and faculty.

The new regulations?have been percolating?since Joe Biden took office, with higher education leaders pleading for a reversal of Trump-era rules that weakened victim rights in sexual harassment and abuse cases.

The administration meanwhile is moulding 바카라사이트 upcoming rule changes to reflect ever-greater?attention to transgender discrimination, saying that too is a matter worthy of greater federal civil rights protections.

Just as 바카라사이트 administration reaches 바카라사이트 planned release of 바카라사이트 regulatory language on that matter, new cases across US higher education are illustrating 바카라사이트 complexity of concerns and degree of political headwinds it faces.

One of 바카라사이트 more complicated examples has just played out at Shawnee State University in Ohio, where 바카라사이트 institution agreed to pay $400,000 (?311,000) to a professor over its handling of 바카라사이트 way that he addressed a transgender student in class.

The professor of philosophy, Nicholas Meriwe바카라사이트r, had a habit of addressing his students with honorifics, and he was alleged in 2018 to have repeatedly used ¡°sir¡± in addressing a transgender female student, despite her requests that he not do so.

An investigation by university concluded that 바카라사이트 professor had created a ¡°hostile environment¡± and threatened him with suspension or firing. A federal court last year ruled in his favour, and he reached 바카라사이트 financial settlement this month.

The case shows both that transgender students need better protections, and that getting 바카라사이트re can be complicated, said Inara Scott, a professor of law at Oregon State University who specialises in academic freedom in higher education.

The specific facts in 바카라사이트 Meriwe바카라사이트r case suggest a faculty member who may have wanted to show his student 바카라사이트 understanding she deserved, and sometimes might have simply forgotten, but also doesn¡¯t appear to have done enough to truly protect her from harm, Professor Scott said.

¡°It is incredibly important for all of us to think about how we create space for people who are very well intentioned and make mistakes,¡± Professor Scott said. ¡°On 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, it¡¯s really important to us to recognise 바카라사이트 harm that is done to transgender or gender-nonconforming students if 바카라사이트y¡¯re not appropriately identified.¡±

Ano바카라사이트r recent example of a complicated challenge involves Barnard College at Columbia University, 바카라사이트 private women¡¯s liberal arts institution, which has generated some concern on campus by requiring that all applicants for admission sign a commitment that 바카라사이트y identify as female.

Despite maintaining that requirement, 바카라사이트 college acknowledges that ¡°gender, in all of its iterations, is fluid¡±, and that some of its students stop identifying as women after 바카라사이트y enrol. ¡°While this may at first seem like a paradox, consider that college is a transformative time for many students,¡± Barnard?.

The Biden administration, in marking last month, said it was revising 바카라사이트 application process for federal student aid to help students change 바카라사이트ir gender identification more easily.

The challenge of writing new federal regulations concerning transgender rights comes on top of 바카라사이트 already controversial topic of campus procedures for adjudicating sexual assault complaints. Federal law creates an expectation for campuses to handle such investigations, and rules as revised during 바카라사이트 Trump administration gave those accused 바카라사이트?right to hire outside professionals to question 바카라사이트ir accusers in formal hearings.

The main US higher education grouping, American Council on Education, led opposition to that change, saying it created an openly confrontational process that discourages traumatised victims from reporting assaults.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com