Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis just told the Biden administration to pound sand with its new Title IX rules. The move came shortly after Oklahoma announced that it would not comply with the new guidelines.
The president’s revamping of Title IX, which was initially aimed at protecting women from discrimination on college campuses, was met with backlash from those arguing that it is an attempt to redefine gender and allow men experiencing gender dysphoria access to women’s spaces.
In a post on X, DeSantis posted a video declaring that Florida “will not comply, and we will fight back.”
“We are not going to let Joe Biden try to inject men into women’s activities. We are not going to let Joe Biden undermine the rights of parents, and we are not going to let Joe Biden abuse his constitutional authority to try to impose these policies on us here in Florida.”
Florida’s response to Joe Biden trying to inject gender ideology into education, undermining opportunities for girls and women, violating parents’ rights, and abusing his constitutional authority:
We will not comply. pic.twitter.com/12pnpOU68Z
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) April 25, 2024
The governor’s comments reflect those of state Attorney General Ashley Moody, who said on Tuesday that Biden’s new rules “shred protections for women.”
“The idea that young girls can now legally be forced to undress in the same room with males in what is supposed to be a safe space like a locker room, that a young woman could be randomly assigned a roommate that is a biological male with little-to-no-say over the matter, or that biological men would be eligible for women’s scholarships is ludicrous. We absolutely plan to challenge this betrayal of women in court.”
On Wednesday, Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters directed school districts in the state not to comply with the White House’s guidelines.
In a letter Wednesday to all local superintendents in the state obtained exclusively by the Washington Examiner, Walters called on districts not to make policy changes based on the controversial Title IX overhaul, which redefines sex to include claimed gender identities, calling the rewrite “illegal” and outside compliance with Oklahoma law.
“In Oklahoma, we don’t bend to the senseless will of Biden and his posse eradicating women’s rights and putting women in danger,” Walters told the Washington Examiner. “This is why I’ve instructed every superintendent in my state to completely ignore Biden’s new Title IX changes that allow males to roam in female locker rooms, dorms, and bathrooms — places where women should feel safe.”
Walters urged other states to follow Oklahoma’s lead in fighting the Title IX changes, saying, “It’s time for every state leader to stand up and say enough of this preposterous charade that erases women and puts their safety in jeopardy.”
The Biden administration’s new rules include transgender individuals in Title IX’s protections, but guidance has not yet been given as to how this will manifest. Some have speculated that the White House will require universities to allow biological males in women’s sports, locker rooms, and restrooms.
