The Department of Energy (DOE) issued several Direct Final Rules (DFRs) in May 2025 that would eliminate essential civil rights protections for girls and women. One of the rules — Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Sports Programs Arising Out of Federal Financial Assistance — would rescind critical portions of the DOE’s Title IX regulations that have provided vital opportunities for all students, especially girls and women to participate in sports.
If this DFR goes into effect, schools could effectively ban girls from participating in certain non-contact sports, such as baseball, by offering boys-only teams without requiring a corresponding team for girls.
The Women’s Sports Foundation strongly opposes this DFR that would roll back Title IX protections, limiting athletic opportunities for girls and women. This rule undermines decades of progress and to uphold the spirit and promise of Title IX, we urge for it to be withdrawn. Read the full text of our comment here.