Department of Education (ED) Secretary Miguel Cardona refused to give the definition of a woman when asked during a Tuesday House Appropriations Committee hearing.
After discussing whether students should participate in athletics on the basis of biological sex, Republican Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde asked Cardona three times to define what a woman is during the House Appropriations Committee hearing. Cardona never gave a definition and instead spoke about his role at the ED to protect LGBTQ students from discrimination. (RELATED: ‘Do You Think This Is Fair?’: Biden’s Education Sec Refuses To Answer GOP Rep’s Question About Men In Women’s Sports)
“So can you please tell me, or can you please define for me what is a woman?” Clyde asked. “Our focus at the department is to provide equal access to students including students who are LGBTQ, access free from discrimination,” Cardona responded.
Cardona said that the definition of a woman was “secondary” to his role as secretary of Education, when asked for a definition the second time.
“My question is not secondary,” Clyde responded. “My question is very simple. What does HHS [ Department of Health and Human Services] say the definition of a woman is?”
“I lead the Department of Education and my job is to make sure all students have access to public education which includes co-curricular activities and I think you highlighted pretty well the importance of Title IX and giving students equal access whether it’s scholarship or facilities, participation as well,” Cardona said.
Demonstrators cheer during the speaking program at the “Our Bodies, Our Sports” rally for the 50th anniversary of Title IX at Freedom Plaza on June 23, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The ED proposed changes in June 2022 to Title IX, a landmark civil rights law intended to curb sex-based discrimination in federally-funded education, expanding its protections to include “sexual orientation” and “gender identity.”
On April 6, the ED proposed additional changes to Title IX to prohibit public K-12 schools and colleges from adopting a “one-size-fits-all-policy” that prevents students from joining sports teams on the basis of gender identity.
In May 2022, then- Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson told Republican Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn that she could not define what a “woman” was. She said, “I’m not a biologist.”
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