Florida - Monday May 15, 2023: Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr. and Florida Board of Governors Chancellor Raymond Rodrigues issued a news release Monday which "demanded" that the U.S. Department of Education Monday to withdraw its their proposed Title IX rule change.
"The intent of Title IX has always been to provide women and girls a level playing field for athletics in education," states the news release from the Florida Department of Education. "The proposed rulemaking by the USDOE contradicts this purpose and will erase years of hard-fought opportunities for women athletes by forcing states to allow biological males to participate in female sports."
The proposed Federal rule change states, in part:
* The proposed regulation would recognize that differences in grade and education level, level of competition, and sports must be taken into account for any eligibility criteria that would restrict transgender students from participating on teams consistent with their gender identity.
* One-size-fits-all policies that categorically ban transgender students from participating in athletics consistent with their gender identity across all sports, age groups, and levels of competition would not satisfy the proposed regulation.
* Preventing students from participating on a sports team consistent with their gender identity can stigmatize and isolate them, and those students may not be able to participate at all if the only other option is to participate on a team that does not align with their gender identity.
READ the rule change Fact Sheet in FULL here > https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/fact-sheet-us-department-educations-proposed-change-its-title-ix-regulations-students-eligibility-athletic-teams
“With this proposed rule, the Biden Administration is attempting to bully states into a radical gender ideology that has no basis in science,” said Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr. “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.”
"The U.S. Department of Education’s proposed rule is an existential threat to women’s sports," said Ray Rodrigues, chancellor of the State University System of Florida. "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. We will not stand idly by while the U.S. Department of Education seeks to destroy fairness in women’s sports."
To view Florida’s comment to equal opportunity for women and girls in sports, visit: https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/5673/urlt/FloridaTitleIXComment.pdf.
Governor DeSantis signed the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act on June 1, 2021. It prohibits biological male students from participating in sports designated for females, women or girls.