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This week the Trump administration loosened Title IX regulations dictating how educational institutions investigate sexual harassment and protecting students on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
The Department of Education reversed a Biden-era rule that required schools to investigate any claims of sexual harassment and misconduct at any school-related activity, not just incidents that happened on campus. The Trump administration also raised the burden for proof on claims of sexual misconduct, raising concern among advocates.
This week's changes to Title IX formalize the administration's defacto policies since Trump's second inauguration in 2025. The newly struck down LGBT protections instituted under the Biden administration have been mired in legal challenges for years.
The rollback of Title IX protections for survivors of sexual assault comes amidst a nationally renewed debate surrounding sexual violence on college campuses.
This week, New York state prosecutors reopened an investigation into an alleged 2024 gang rape at Cornell University against seven alleged perpetrators. The reopening comes after a September 14 lawsuit that accused seven members Chi Phi fraternity of raping a woman, 20, identified as "Jane Doe," after they gave her ketamine and she passed out. The lawsuit alleges that a man sent a text in the fraternity group Snapchat inviting them to rape her. Following Cornell investigations, two of the seven alleged rapists were expelled, but none were arrested.
The lawsuit has since sparked widespread outrage and calls for action by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and others.