Florida - Wednesday April 24, 2024: Under new Title IX protections rolled out by the Biden administration this week, it is now illegal to discriminate against K-12 students based on their gender identity or sexuality.
Brian Dittmeier is the Director of Public Policy at the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). He says these protections guarantee that students can use their preferred pronouns, bathrooms that align with their gender identity and take whomever they wish to a school prom.
Florida schools not following these rules would be violating federal law. “That, of course, is critically important," says Dittmeier, "because of the high rates of harassment and bullying that LGBTQ students face and we see across the country 83% of LGBTQIA youth face some form of harassment or assault in school.”
The new rules don’t include protections for transgender athletes to play on sports teams or compete in a way that aligns with their gender identity.
A statewide ban still applies to transgender athletes at the high school and college level in the state.