DeSantis Vows to Defy the Biden Administration’s New Title IX Rules, Including Protections for Trans Students

It’s clear he’s not planning to back down when it comes to the Biden administration’s latest Title IX revisions aimed at protecting transgender students.

Title IX states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Over the past five decades, the administrations of numerous US presidents have updated it. 

These changes allow affected students to seek help from both their schools and the federal government—a major step, according to the administration.

This remark captures the administration’s commitment to fostering a supportive educational environment.

“Our nation’s educational institutions should be places where we not only accept differences, but celebrate them – places that root out hate and promote inclusion, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because our systems and institutions are richer for it,”

The debate is heating up, reflecting deep divisions on this sensitive issue.

His firm refusal mirrors a wider sentiment among certain states to resist these changes.

He claimed, “We are not going to let Joe Biden try to inject men into women’s activities,” expressing a common concern among opponents.

This stance resonates with many who fear federal overreach into family matters.

It’s a stark accusation that reflects the governor’s hardened stance.

His rhetoric targets those worried about the implications of the new rules.

This shared defiance illustrates the broader resistance among some states.

His stance on the Title IX revisions continues his pattern of opposition to gender-affirming care and related issues.

This includes whether non-binary and transgender students will be allowed to participate in sports events and teams that align with their chosen gender. 

Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton shared DeSantis’s opinion and even sued the Biden Administration on April 29 for implementing the new rules. 

“I am instructing the Texas Education Agency to ignore your illegal dictate,” he said. 

“Your rewrite of Title IX not only exceeds your constitutional authority, it also tramples laws that I signed to protect the integrity of women’s sports by prohibiting men from competing against female athletes,” he said. 

This looming date sets the stage for potential conflicts between state policies and federal mandates.

This has been expanded to include discrimination based on pregnancy, according to CNN. 

The rules prohibit any form of discrimination “based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics in federally funded education programs.”

As per the fact sheet, “all forms of sex-based harassment, including sexual violence and unwelcome sex-based conduct that creates a hostile environment by limiting or denying a person’s ability to participate in or benefit from a school’s education program or activity.”

Schools are still prohibited from taking disciplinary measures, such as suspending students from sports teams, while a Title XI investigation is pending.

“So we retain that provision as part of the required equity for all parties under Title IX,” a senior administration official said Thursday.