Ed Sec McMahon responds after two school districts sue Trump admin over gender policies: 'See you in court'
Two Northern Virginia public school districts have filed suit against the Trump administration after a warning about bathroom and locker room policies that violate Title IX.
The fight over gender ideology in Virginia public schools has now moved into the courtroom, and Education Secretary Linda McMahon says she’s ready for the showdown.
On Friday, Fairfax County and Arlington County schools sued the Trump administration after being warned their policies on bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports violated federal civil rights law. The Washington Post reports that both districts allow students to access facilities based on gender identity rather than biological sex, a practice the Department of Education says strips protection from girls and directly conflicts with Title IX.
The Department announced on August 19 that both districts had been given a “high-risk” status, meaning nearly $200 million in federal aid could be on the line. That money supports free meals, counseling, and special education services, but McMahon says the real issue is whether schools can take taxpayer dollars while openly ignoring federal law.
In a Friday X post, McMahon accused the districts of prioritizing ideology over academics and vowed to defend protections for girls in bathrooms, locker rooms, and athletics.
”It’s disturbing that these Virginia school division leaders are fighting harder to keep boys in girls’ sports and bathrooms than they are to improve outcomes for students,” McMahon wrote in the post, telling the districts “See you in Court.”
The lawsuits mark a direct challenge to the Trump administration’s interpretation of Title IX, which defines sex as biological and not interchangeable with gender identity.
Left-leaning districts and activist groups, however, argue that federal courts have ruled in favor of transgender access, citing the Grimm v. Gloucester decision. That case found a Virginia school board discriminated against a biological female student identifying as male by denying bathroom access.
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The conflict reflects a broader national standoff. Denver Public Schools was cited last week by the Department of Education for converting sex-segregated bathrooms into gender-neutral facilities, and other districts and institutions are also resisting federal directives.
For McMahon and the Trump administration, the issue is clear.
They argue that Title IX was written to protect biological sex, not gender identity, and say policies like those in Virginia undermine fairness for girls. For liberal districts, the fight is framed as a civil rights battle that they appear ready to wage all the way to the nation’s highest court.
