President Joe Biden pulled out all the stops for International Women’s Day on Monday, but he arguably undercut women’s advancement while paying lip service to it. He issued a glowing statement about women’s empowerment, launched a Gender Policy Council, and signed an executive order barring “sex discrimination” — including discrimination on the basis of gender identity — in public schools. On one hand, Biden celebrated women’s advancement, and on the other, he forced schoolgirls to share bathrooms and sports teams with biological boys.
“On International Women’s Day, we celebrate the achievements, contributions, and progress of women and girls in the United States and around the globe,” Biden declared. “My Administration is committed to honoring women by investing in their opportunity, security, and wellbeing.”
Biden touted women’s central role in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, touted his history-making vice president, Kamala Harris, and lamented that “systemic obstacles” still “fuel gender disparities and undermine women’s potential.”
“Elevating the status of women and girls globally is the right thing to do — it is a matter of justice, fairness, and decency, and it will lead to a better, more secure, and more prosperous world for us all,” Biden argued.
Biden Orders Creation of Gender Policy Council
President Joe Biden will formally create a gender policy council within the White House as part of two executive orders he intends to sign Monday to mark International Women’s Day.
The council will include a staff of four, three of whom will hold the title of special assistant to the president, according to a senior administration official who previewed the two orders.
The council’s mandate is to work across the federal government’s domestic and foreign policy to fight discrimination and bias, boost economic security, increase access to health care, and advance general equality through diplomacy, trade and …