Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday he “will not comply” with the Biden administration’s new rules clarifying that Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
The failed 2024 presidential candidate said in a video on X that “Florida rejects Joe Biden’s attempt to rewrite Title IX.”
Last Friday, the Biden administration introduced new rules that would allow LGBTQ+ students facing discrimination to bring the issue to their school under Title IX protections and also seek redress from the federal government.
The White House stopped short of addressing the Republican-backed ban on transgender athletes participating in women’s sports.
The move was largely seen as the government’s way of avoiding a deeply politicized issue in an election year.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said in a video on Thursday that ‘Florida rejects Joe Biden’s attempt to rewrite Title IX’
The new rule clarifies that Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity
Still, DeSantis suggested that overhauling Title IX would address this problem.
“We will not let Joe Biden try to inject men into women’s activities,” the Florida governor said.
“We will not let Joe Biden undermine parents’ rights. And we will not let Joe Biden abuse his constitutional authority to impose these policies on us here in Florida,” DeSantis added.
DeSantis boasted that he had “opportunities.”
“We’re not going to let Joe Biden get away with it,” he said. “We will not obey.”
What the Biden administration did was make clear that the 1972 law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
The new rule makes “crystal clear that everyone has access to schools that are safe, welcoming and that respect their rights,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona told The Associated Press during the rollout.
What President Joe Biden’s administration did was make clear that the 1972 law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Trans rights advocates will gather in Florida in November 2022. DeSantis has made targeting trans Americans part of his political brand
“No one should face harassment or discrimination just because of who they are, who they love,” Cardona told reporters. “Unfortunately, this happens all too often.”
Some Republicans in Congress pushed back after the review, saying Congress never intended such protections under Title IX.
In addition to DeSantis, Louisiana’s top education official instructed schools to ignore the Biden administration’s revised Title IX rule.
The intention is for the rules to come into effect on August 1.
DeSantis has made targeting transgender Americans part of his political brand, including signing a number of laws last year that, among other things, prevented gender-affirming care.