Florida Upholds Biological Sex in Sports: A Battle Over Title IX and Transgender Rights

The state Board of Education in Florida has recently passed rules that require student athletes to compete in sports based on the sex they were assigned at birth. This means that transgender women and girls are not allowed to participate in women’s sports at academic institutions in the state.

Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz spoke out in support of these rules during a meeting, praising the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis in fighting against discrimination based on biological sex. Diaz criticized the Biden administration for attempting to diminish the importance of biological sex, arguing that Florida will continue to uphold privacy rights for students in bathrooms and locker rooms and prevent boys from playing in girls’ sports.

The Biden administration has raised concerns about these policies and other legislation impacting transgender and nonbinary students in Florida, arguing that they violate Title IX anti-discrimination protections. In response, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration in an attempt to block federal rulemaking related to these protections.