Florida demands Biden administration reject proposed Title IX rule
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – Florida leaders demanded the Biden administration withdraw the proposed Title IX rule that would prohibit sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs.
The U.S. Department of Education announced the proposal in April, which the DeSantis administration said “threatens athletic opportunities for females across the nation.”
Florida Department of Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr. and Florida Board of Governors Chancellor Raymond Rodrigues said the rule would force states to allow biological males to participate in female sports.
“With this proposed rule, the Biden Administration is attempting to bully states into a radical gender ideology that has no basis in science,” Diaz said.
Arkansas, North Carolina and Wyoming signed onto Florida’s efforts.
“As a father of young daughters, I know the importance of safeguarding sports for girls and women. Florida will continue to protect the rights of biological female students to participate in athletics without being discriminated against by an administration that has chosen to prioritize a political agenda over America’s children,” Diaz said.
Rodrigues called the rule an “existential threat” to women’s sports.
“As the number one system in higher education in the United States, we are proud of the accomplishments and achievements our female athletes have made in athletics,” Rodrigues said. “We will not stand idly by while the U.S. Department of Education seeks to destroy fairness in women’s sports.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act in 2021, which prohibits biological male students from participating in women’s sports.
The Biden administration’s rule reportedly makes it illegal for schools to broadly ban transgender students from sports teams that align with their gender identity, instead of their sex.
“Every student should be able to have the full experience of attending school in America, including participating in athletics, free from discrimination,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “Being on a sports team is an important part of the school experience for students of all ages.”
