Ah, June — the month where rainbows usually dominate social media feeds, rainbow flags flutter on every corner, and Pride parades flood the streets with a glittery, unapologetic celebration of LGBTQ+ lives. But hold onto your sequins, because the U.S. Department of Education just announced a plot twist: June will now be celebrated as “Title IX Month.”
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The department declared this change “in honor of the fifty-third anniversary of Title IX of the Educational Amendments (1972) being signed into law,” with a press release stating, “June will now be dedicated to commemorating women and celebrating their struggle for, and achievement of, equal educational opportunity.” Sounds wholesome, right? Except, well… there’s a twist.
What this really means is a renewed campaign to undo the Biden administration’s transgender protections — an agenda that’s about as subtle as a disco ball in a blackout. The Education Department plans to highlight its efforts to “reverse the Biden Administration’s legacy of undermining Title IX” and promises to “step up measures to protect women in line with the true purpose of Title IX.”
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Education Secretary Linda McMahon put it bluntly:
“This Administration will fight on every front to protect women’s and girls’ sports, intimate spaces, dormitories and living quarters, and fraternal and panhellenic organizations.”
But here’s the catch — this “protection” primarily means targeting transgender women and girls. The department has launched investigations into schools allowing trans students access to women’s sports teams and facilities. For instance, two transphobic investigations are underway at the University of Wyoming and Jefferson County Public Schools in Colorado for possibly permitting trans girls in women’s spaces.
GLAAD, the LGBTQ rights organization, isn’t exactly cheering. Their recent report recorded over 1,000 anti-LGBTQ incidents in the past year, with more than half targeting transgender and gender-nonconforming people. GLAAD analyst Sarah Moore summarized the climate bluntly:
“This goes along with the really intense conversations that we’re having right now around trans rights.”
Is Title IX similar to Pride?
Meanwhile, the Department of Education’s official social media quietly posted:
“By prohibiting sex-based discrimination in federally funded programs, #TitleIX opened countless athletic & academic opportunities for women & girls across the country. This month, we celebrate Title IX’s 53rd anniversary & will take more action to protect women’s hard-earned rights.”
The subtlety is lost on many news outlets, which quickly drew parallels between the new “Title IX Month” and the traditional Pride Month June has represented for decades. The Hill reported,
“The Education Department announced Monday that June, typically known as Pride Month, would be honored as ‘Title IX Month’ as it works to undo Biden-era transgender protections.”
Fox News framed it this way:
“Dept of Education labels June as ‘Title IX Month’ in wake of trans athletes winning girls’ competitions.”
So, what is Title IX anyway?
For those who need a refresher, Title IX is a federal civil rights law enacted in 1972. It states:
“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”
In theory, Title IX is a powerful tool to ensure gender equity in education — from sports to protection against sexual harassment. Harvard University explains that Title IX regulations require institutions to address sexual misconduct and provide support and grievance procedures.
But here’s the rub: the interpretation of “sex” in Title IX has become a political battleground. The current administration’s insistence on defining “women’s rights” as separate from transgender women’s rights turns what should be a unifying law into a divisive weapon.
In short? June 2025 won’t be your usual Pride Month — at least, not officially. Instead of rainbows and glitter, the spotlight shifts to a controversial reinterpretation of a landmark civil rights law. For LGBTQ folks, especially trans folks, this signals another front in a cultural and political war where their very existence and identity are questioned and policed under the banner of protecting “women’s rights.”
If June is about celebrating the freedom to be yourself, this year’s “Title IX Month” feels more like a reminder that some people are still fighting to define who gets to be included in that freedom. So maybe this June, as you rock your Pride gear or simply live your truth, remember: the fight for inclusion isn’t over — it’s just taken on a new, bureaucratic guise. And if anyone tries to erase your Pride, well, you know what to do: resist, persist, and sparkle anyway.
The department that this regime says isn’t important and is trying to totally eliminate is certianly pontificating a lot for something not important. I call bullshit. June is Pride month and will always be! This regime or any other will not EVER send us back! The would be king needs to learn we have NO titles in this democracy.
The days when gay pride was to be celebrated, by taking the time away from our regular lives to join with other members of the gay community to reflect on our similarities were good ones. We showed that we were the same people as everyone else and were good neighbors. Much of that changed when the rest of the alphabet, looking to park under the gay umbrella, changed who we were perceived to be and changed the whole purpose of who we were. The alphabet change just happened, with no particular input from any of us in the gay community and seemed to make us outsiders as we were brushed aside by people with different agendas. Many of us have moved on and left pride to all the rest of the alphabet and the colors that they prefer. We’ll celebrate in our own way.