Title IX’s next battle: The rights of transgender athletes

FILE - Libby Gonzales stands with her father, Frank Gonzales, as she joins other members of the transgender community during a rally on the steps of the Texas Capitol, Monday, March 6, 2017, in Austin, Texas. The group is opposing a "bathroom bill" that would require people to use public bathrooms and restrooms that correspond with the sex on their birth certificate. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

(AP) — The law known as Title IX has influenced athletics in the United States for 50 years.

Many wonder if the law should be reshaped to ensure participation for transgender athletes in sports in much the same way the statute enshrined rights for women.

Without federal legislation to set parameters, officials in at least 40 states have adopted their own rules and laws.

There are big differences. Some rules bar transgender athletes from girls and women’s sports. Others define someone’s sex as the one they are assigned at birth. It underscores how difficult it will be to reach a national consensus.