DeSantis says Florida will “fight” new Title IX guidelines

• Rejecting the guidelines could threaten the millions of dollars Florida's schools receive annually.

The big picture: The updates include specific protections for LGBTQ+ students and prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation — issues DeSantis and Republican lawmakers have targeted in recent years.

• Lawmakers banned transgender girls from playing on girls' sports teams and, more recently, rescinded a policy allowing transgender people to obtain a driver's license corresponding with their gender identity.

What they're saying: In a video posted to X on Thursday, DeSantis said Florida would "fight back."

• "We are not going to let [President] Joe Biden try to inject men into women's activities [and] undermine the rights of parents," DeSantis said.

Reality check: The new rules did not address whether transgender and nonbinary students could play on a sports team that corresponded with their gender identity, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

What they're saying: In a memo sent to district superintendents last week, Education Commissioner Manny Díaz Jr. said "no educational institution should begin implementing any changes."

• Díaz said the updates "violate various federal and state laws," including the state's Parental Rights in Education Act, dubbed "Don't Say Gay" by critics.

Flashback: This isn't the first time Díaz has instructed districts to avoid implementing new rules related to Title IX.

• In 2022, he said guidance from the federal Department of Education was not "binding law" and asked officials to refuse any change, Tampa Bay Times reported.