An appeals court has sided with Florida, blocking new Title IX rules from taking effect in Florida schools.
Earlier this week, a federal judge ruled that the new rules, that would protect students based on gender identity and sexuality, should be allowed to be enforced.
But days later, an appeals court granted the state’s injunction.
Brian Dittmeier is the director of policy for GLSEN, which fights for LGBTQ rights.
“This sends a clear message that the state is not interested in fostering safer school environments. And so when you think about how that translates to youth, it leads to higher rates of victimization, when you're not taking steps to address the bullying that's happening in school,” Dittmeier said.
The injunction has also been upheld in other Southern states including Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. But he’s still hopeful something can change.
“It's only a matter of time until Florida and other states realize that that's in the best interest of the next generation. And, you know, we just hope that the litigation gets resolved as quickly as possible,” Dittmeier said.
The new rules were meant to go into effect this week, but 26 states including Florida have challenged them.
In April, Governor Ron DeSantis said Florida wouldn’t comply with the new federal protections.
State schools and universities were sent a memo urging them not to enforce the rules.
Earlier this week, when the rules looked like they would be allowed to go into effect, Education Commissioner Manny Diaz again, told schools not to comply.
“The Biden Administration’s rule changes would infringe on the right of girls to be treated fairly,” Diaz said on the social media platform X. “Accordingly, no school in Florida should implement this rule.”
Under Florida law, transgender students are only allowed to use bathrooms and lockers that align with the sex they were assigned at birth.
With this week’s ruling, that law is very much still in effect.
The original Title IX rules passed in 1972, granted sex-based protections for student athletes, that allowed women to fully participate in high school and university teams.
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