(DailyVantage.com) – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is once again at odds with the administration of President Joe Biden, after he said that Florida would not abide by Title IX protections meant for transgender students.
According to the combative Florida governor, Biden and his administration are attempting to “rewrite Title IX,” but Florida “will not comply, and we will fight back,” he said.
Title IX refers to the sexual discrimination law passed in 1972 designed to protect women’s rights and also covers educational institutions that receive financial support from the federal government. The new additions to Title IX being pushed by the Biden administration expand protections to sexual discrimination based on a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity – which would cover transgenders, who identify themselves as other than their biological sex.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody echoed Governor DeSantis’ sentiments, saying that the Sunshine State would definitely mount a legal challenge the changes to Title IX, which Moody called a “betrayal of women”. Other state education officials have also supported Governor DeSantis’ defiance of Title IX changes, with Manny Diaz Jr., the state’s education commissioner, issuing guidance to superintendents directing them to ignore Title IX changes, as Florida deems them a violation of both state and federal laws.
Some of the rules included in the Title IX changes are prohibitions on teachers to intentionally misgender students – some educators have refused to address students with their preferred pronouns. Florida is among the U.S. states that protect teachers from clapback if they refuse to use preferred pronouns. Also included in the new rules are provisions that give transgender students “access to a sex-separate” facilities, and/or allow individuals to use facilities in line with their own sexual orientation, and not their biological sex – meaning that trans-men who identify as women should be allowed access to female facilities like restrooms and locker rooms, and vice versa. The new rules also essentially force schools to allow students to participate in activities – ostensibly including sports – that align with that student’s gender identity.
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