Know Your IX (alternatively Know Your Nine) is a left-of-center advocacy organization focusing on Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Know Your IX was founded to provide information and resources for victims of harassment or sexual assault and favors increasing federal resources and reporting requirements. Know Your IX advocates for banning firearms on college campuses, opposes mandatory police reporting of victims of sexual assault, and opposes state efforts to restrict restroom and locker room access based on sex identified at birth.

Know Your IX supports allowing transgender individuals born male to compete in women’s sports, having characterized legislation barring transgender athletes in women’s sports “a dangerous and a gross misinterpretation of Title IX.” ¹

History

Know Your IX was founded in 2013 and is a project of Advocates for Youth. ² Know Your IX is a survivor- and youth-led project that seeks to empower students and put an end to sexual and dating violence. ³ The organization was founded by two college women, each of whom had experienced sexual assault on campus and were discouraged from filing complaints due to a perceived lack of college policies dealing with disciplinary action. ⁴ Both students learned of Title IX’s guarantee of students’ rights to an education without violence or harassment and requirements to ensure students’ safety and equal access to education by preventing violence and providing a fair grievance process. ⁵

The Know Your IX website, launched in 2013, explains how to report assault and harassment, how to use legal and activist strategies to change college policies, provides help for survivors, information on the campaign, and advice for victims. ⁶ Know Your IX characterizes sexual and dating violence as part of systemic gender oppression. ⁷

Programs

Know Your IX staff provides programming staff to train individuals, organize groups, and support survivors. ⁸ Know Your IX provides a toolkit on organizing on campuses including how to build a team, how to plan a campaign, how to draw media interest, working with student governments, and how to spread information on Title IX rights. ⁹ Know Your IX provides information on taking legal action under Title IX including who can file a complaint, when to file, what to include, how to file, and further legal steps. ¹⁰ While mainly focused on colleges, Know Your IX also provides information, resources, and guidance for high school students. ¹¹

Positions

Know Your IX has advocated for Biden administration regulations that would increase federal rules with an emphasis in favor of LGBTQ students. ¹² Know Your IX supports gender self-identification and opposes state legislation requiring the use a person’s gender at birth to allow access to restrooms, locker rooms, or other facilities. ¹³  Know Your IX opposes legislation that allows firearms on college campuses, stating guns will escalate the likelihood that rape and abuse will escalade to murder. ¹⁴

Know Your IX is opposed to mandatory police reporting for victims of sexual assault citing the possibility of victims not reporting assault, arguing not all reported rapes or assaults lead to prosecution, and affirming victims should have the right to choose whether to report to the police. ¹⁵ Know Your IX opposes transcript notations on those found responsible for assault citing it may make it harder for a student to leave a school when that may be in the best interest of the victim, it may deter reporting by victims not wanting to get someone in trouble, and a belief that once someone serves their disciplinary punishment that punishment should end. ¹⁶

Know Your IX supports allowing transgender athletes born male to compete in women’s sports. ¹⁷ Know Your IX praised the Biden administration’s proposed rule forbidding any complete bans on transgender students competing in sports based on gender identity. ¹⁸ Know Your IX has argued that allowing transgender athletes to compete based on gender identity does not deny anyone from competing in sports. ¹⁹ Know Your IX was “infuriated” the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would restrict athletes to participate in sports based on genetic sex at birth. ²⁰ Know Your IX called the bill a “dangerous and gross misinterpretation of Title IX.” ²¹

Leadership

Emma Grasso Levine has worked for Know Your IX since 2020 and been manager since 2022. ²³ Grasso Levine received a double BFA in dramatic writing and social and cultural analysis from New York University. ²⁴

1. “House of Representatives Passes Discriminatory Federal Sports Ban Against Transgender Women and Girls.” Know Your IX. April 20, 2023. Accessed July 4, 2023. https://knowyourix.org/press-room/press-releases/.
2. Rosch, Amelia. “Get to Know ‘Know Your IX.’” Ms. August 8, 2013. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://msmagazine.com/2013/08/08/get-to-know-know-your-ix/; “Learn About Know Your IX.” Know Your IX. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://knowyourix.org/about/.
3.  “Learn About Know Your IX.” Know Your IX. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://knowyourix.org/about/.
4. Bolger, Dana. “Sexual Assault Survivor Activists Launch ‘Know Your IX’ Campaign.” Huffington Post. April 18, 2013. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sexual-assault-survivor-a_b_3104714.
5. Bolger, Dana. “Sexual Assault Survivor Activists Launch ‘Know Your IX’ Campaign.” Huffington Post. April 18, 2013. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sexual-assault-survivor-a_b_3104714.
6. Rosch, Amelia. “Get to Know ‘Know Your IX.’” Ms. August 8, 2013. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://msmagazine.com/2013/08/08/get-to-know-know-your-ix/
7. “Our Values.” Know Your IX. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://knowyourix.org/our-values/.
8. “Know Your IX.” Advocates for Youth. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://www.advocatesforyouth.org/about/our-programs/.
9. “Campus Action.” Know Your IX. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://knowyourix.org/campus-action/.
10. “Taking Legal Action Under Title IX.” Know Your IX. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://knowyourix.org/legal-action/taking-legal-action-title-ix/.
11. “College Resources.” Know Your IX. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://knowyourix.org/college-resources/; “High School.” Know Your IX. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://knowyourix.org/high-school-resource/.
12. “The State of Title IX.” Know Your IX. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://knowyourix.org/college-resources/hands-off-ix/; “A Timing Update on Title IX Rulemaking.” U.S. Department of Education. May 26, 2023. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://blog.ed.gov/2023/05/a-timing-update-on-title-ix-rulemaking/.
13. “Anti-Trans Discrimination.” Know Your IX. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://knowyourix.org/issues/anti-trans-discrimination/.
14. “Campus Carry and Campus Rape.” Know Your IX. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://knowyourix.org/issues/campus-carry-campus-rape/.
15. “Resisting Mandatory Police Referral Efforts.” Know Your IX. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://knowyourix.org/issues/resisting-mandatory-police-referral-efforts/.
16. “Transcript Notations.” Know Your IX. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://knowyourix.org/issues/transcript-notations/.
17. “Press Releases.” Know Your IX. Accessed July 4, 2023. https://knowyourix.org/press-room/press-releases/.
18. “Biden Administration Releases Proposed Rules for Title IX Athletics.” Know Your IX. April 7, 2023. Accessed July 4, 2023. https://knowyourix.org/press-room/press-releases/.
19. “Biden Administration Releases Proposed Rules for Title IX Athletics.” Know Your IX. April 7, 2023. Accessed July 4, 2023. https://knowyourix.org/press-room/press-releases/.
20. “House of Representatives Passes Discriminatory Federal Sports Ban Against Transgender Women and Girls.” Know Your IX. April 20, 2023. Accessed July 4, 2023. https://knowyourix.org/press-room/press-releases/.
21. “House of Representatives Passes Discriminatory Federal Sports Ban Against Transgender Women and Girls.” Know Your IX. April 20, 2023. Accessed July 4, 2023. https://knowyourix.org/press-room/press-releases/.
23.  “Emma Grasso Levine.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmagrassolevine/.[/note[ Previously, Grasso Levine was a development assistant at Jane Startz Productions from 2020 to 2021. ²² “Emma Grasso Levine.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmagrassolevine/.
24. “Emma Grasso Levine.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 2, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmagrassolevine/.