Dive Brief:
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University of North Carolina System President Margaret Spellings has said the system would respond to a U.S. Justice Department mandate demanding the system state its intent to not comply with HB2 by today’s deadline.
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The Departments of Justice, Education, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development are all now threatening North Carolina over the controversial transgender bathroom bill, with over $1.4 billion in higher ed funding on the line from DOE alone.
- The bill violates Title IX gender equality concerns, as well as workplace discrimination concerns addressed in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
Dive Insight:
The ongoing conversation about laws in states like Mississippi and North Carolina has drawn federal attention and the threat of lawsuits from the feds as well as individuals and families in the states. Concerns over locker room or restroom access or a student’s ability to play sports have dominated both sides of the discussion.
Now, with a threat of loss of federal funding — direct DOE funding, as well as grant money from other agencies — states will be faced to make swift decisions about their stance on whether sex on birth certificate or gender identity will rule. An increased emphasis on college affordability, coupled with continually shrinking state higher ed budgets, means states that draw the line around their ideas of morality could see several schools close their doors if federal funding is yanked.