'That dude rocks': Ron DeSantis hailed as he declares Florida 'will not comply' with Biden's Title IX revision

MIAMI, FLORIDA: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) made a resolute declaration on Thursday, April 25, affirming that the state "will not comply" with the recent alterations to Title IX introduced by the Biden administration.

For those unfamiliar, Title IX is a cornerstone federal civil rights law in the United States, established as part of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any educational institution or program receiving federal funding.

The Biden administration recently unveiled a final set of amendments to Title IX, aiming to incorporate protections for transgender students into the federal law against sex-based discrimination. These changes are slated to take effect in early August.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona voiced support for the revisions, asserting, "These final regulations build on the legacy of Title IX by clarifying that all our nation’s students can access schools that are safe, welcoming, and respect their rights."

Ron DeSantis says Florida 'will not comply' with the law

Governor Ron DeSantis, however, vehemently opposed these changes. “Florida rejects [President Biden’s] attempt to rewrite Title IX,” DeSantis stated in a video posted to X. “We will not comply, and we will fight back,” he added.

DeSantis continued, opposing what he perceived as President Biden's encroachment on Florida's autonomy.

"We are not gonna let Joe Biden try to inject men into women’s activities," he said. "We are not gonna let Joe Biden undermine the rights of parents, and we are not gonna let Joe Biden abuse his constitutional authority to try to impose these policies on us here in Florida," he further said.

LGBTQI+ advocates slam Ron DeSantis

The Florida Governor's stance has drawn criticism from LGBTQI+ advocates, who cite Florida's history of enacting laws perceived as detrimental to their community, such as the controversial "Don’t Say Gay" law, which restricts discussions on LGBTQ topics in public schools.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), in partnership with a Florida LGBTQ advocacy group, issued an advisory last year cautioning against travel to Florida due to concerns over the state's laws and policies targeting LGBTQ rights.

“Taken in their totality, Florida’s slate of laws and policies targeting basic freedoms and rights pose significant risk to the health and safety of many considering relocation and/or temporary travel to the state,” the travel advisory reads.

Brandon Wolf, HRC's national press secretary, condemned DeSantis' stance, along with politicians in other states opposing Title IX protections.

“These MAGA politicians are choosing theatrics and hateful rhetoric over protecting and furthering the needs of their state’s students,” Wolf said in a statement. “Refusing to comply with Title IX could have damaging consequences for schools, including significant loss in funding on the order of hundreds of millions of dollars — dollars that should be going to helping young people achieve academic excellence. That appears to be a sacrifice that those whose only priorities are themselves and their own political profiles are willing to make,” Wolf said.

Jon Harris Maurer, Equality Florida’s public policy director, told The Hill that DeSantis “cannot ignore federal protections designed to safeguard students and families, including LGBTQ students, survivors of sexual assault and harassment, and pregnant students.”

“Thousands of parents have rallied at school board meetings to oppose policies that use their children’s classrooms as political battlegrounds. We will continue to work with parents across the state to foster an environment where every student can learn and thrive," Maurer added.

In response to Florida's defiance, a spokesperson for the US Department of Education emphasized that all federally funded schools are obligated to comply with the final Title IX regulations.

“The Department crafted the final Title IX regulations following a rigorous process to give complete effect to the Title IX statutory guarantee that no person experiences sex discrimination in federally funded education,” they said in an emailed statement to The Hill on Thursday.

“As a condition of receiving federal funds, all federally funded schools are obligated to comply with these final regulations and we look forward to working with school communities all across the country to ensure the Title IX guarantee of nondiscrimination in school is every student’s experience," the department added.

Florida’s Commissioner of Education, Manny Diaz Jr, echoed DeSantis' sentiments, declaring in a memo that Florida "will fight" the changes to Title IX.

“Instead of implementing Congress’s clear directive to prevent discrimination based on biological sex, the Biden Administration maims the statute beyond recognition in an attempt to gaslight the country into believing that biological sex no longer has any meaning,” Diaz stated in a memo.

Social media reactions

Ron DeSantis received praise on social media for his refusal to comply with the Title IX changes, with supporters applauding his stance against what they perceive as federal overreach.

"Wow that dude rocks," one social media user posted on X.

"New Florida state motto: WE WILL NOT COMPLY. Love it. Best gov ever," another gushed.

"Good. Biological sports for women should be for biological women. We will NOT comply with adding men to our sports here," someone else chimed in.

"Wow. It's sickening how many people support biological men competing in women's sports," another commented.

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