KENTUCKY — Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron joined 18 other states in filing a brief before the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals to block the Biden administration's interpretation of Title IX that would allow transgender girls to compete on girls' sports teams.

In its brief on the Tennessee-led lawsuit, the group of attorneys general argue that the circuit court should uphold the district court's preliminary injuction against the "unlawful guidance" issued by the U.S. Department of Education and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The Biden administration's interpretation of Title IX, the coalition contends, is based on a "flawed understanding of the Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton County."

The Department of Education under the Biden Administration sought to broaden Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 to include discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

“Women athletes in Kentucky deserve the opportunity to compete on a level playing field,” Cameron said in a press release, claiming that the brief represents an effort to "preserve the integrity of women's sports."

Last July, Cameron joined a challenge to the EEOC’s guidance, and a federal district court halted the federal government from enforcing the new guidance.

Today’s brief follows an appeal of the district court’s ruling by the Biden administration.

During the 2022 legislative session, Kentucky's General Assembly passed Senate Bill 83 to bar transgender girls from grades 6-12 from competing in girls' sports. It was vetoed by Gov. Andy Beshear, but that was ultimately overridden by the legislature's Republican supermajority. Attorney General Cameron pledged at the time to defend the law in court if it was challenged.

You can read the full brief to the Court of Appeals here.