Project 1996

On June 24, 2022, the Department of Education released new proposed Title IX guidelines but left out a key part: the application to school dress codes. We’re advocating to change this.

We demand Title IX guidelines that outline what school dress codes can and cannot do under Title IX.

join our public comment campaign

Title IX must be applied in K-12 schools.

Peltier v. Charter Day School was decided in August 2021, a case in which a federal judge ruled that Title IX applies to school dress codes. Dress codes across the country are discriminatory and yet the Department of Education has left dress codes out of their proposed Title IX guidelines. We must take action for all the students who are sexualized, objectified, and humiliated because of gender discriminatory dress codes.

Peltier v. Charter Day School

Why “Project 1996”?

In 1996, U.S. v. Virginia, one of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s most consequential cases as a Supreme Court Justice, was decided. In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to deny women admission from the Virginia Military Institute on the basis of sex. We’ve named this project after the year U.S. v. Virginia was decided to honor Justice Ginsburg’s contributions to educational equity—which is what Title IX is all about!

Learn more about Justice ginsburg

“Our wounds are often the openings into the best and most beautiful part of us.”

Take action against discriminatory dress codes in public schools.

On the 50th anniversary of Title IX, June 24, 2022, the U.S. Department of Education announced a proposal for revised Title IX guidelines. While many of these guidelines restore rights to survivors of sexual assault and harassment, any provisions about dress codes are missing.

Dress codes across the country restrict the rights of LGBTQIA+ students to express their preferred gender, sexualize feminine students through bans on cleavage, and restrict what clothing students can wear based on their gender. The result? Missed class time disproportionately impacts feminine students, students of color, and LGBTQIA+ students. If the U.S. Department of Education specifies what schools can and cannot do in dress codes under Title IX, these discriminatory dress codes could begin to be addressed on a massive scale across the country.

These guidelines are open for public comment until September 12, 2022. During this period, we’re running a public comment campaign to speak up about the need for Title IX guidelines to address Title IX. K-12 students in U.S. public schools demand this of us—we must fight for their rights to educational equity, and by doing so, continue the legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in U.S. v. Virginia started back in 1996.

join our public comment campaign!

Take action against discriminatory dress codes in public schools.

On the 50th anniversary of Title IX, June 24, 2022, the U.S. Department of Education announced a proposal for revised Title IX guidelines. While many of these guidelines restore rights to survivors of sexual assault and harassment, any provisions about dress codes are missing.

Dress codes across the country restrict the rights of LGBTQIA+ students to express their preferred gender, sexualize feminine students through bans on cleavage, and restrict what clothing students can wear based on their gender. The result? Missed class time disproportionately impacts feminine students, students of color, and LGBTQIA+ students. If the U.S. Department of Education specifies what schools can and cannot do in dress codes under Title IX, these discriminatory dress codes could begin to be addressed on a massive scale across the country.

These guidelines are open for public comment until September 12, 2022. During this period, we’re running a public comment campaign to speak up about the need for Title IX guidelines to address Title IX. K-12 students in U.S. public schools demand this of us—we must fight for their rights to educational equity, and by doing so, continue the legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in U.S. v. Virginia started back in 1996.

join our public comment campaign!