Florida Fighting Against Biden Policies ‘Denying School Lunches’ to States Refusing to ‘Implement Woke Gender Ideology’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) administration is fighting against Biden administration policies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to  deny school lunches to states that “refuse to implement woke gender ideology in the schools,” the governor reiterated on Sunday.

“In Florida, we are fighting against Biden’s intentionally destructive policies like denying school lunches for states that refuse to implement woke gender ideology in the schools,” DeSantis said, referencing a portion of a speech he delivered last week, walking Floridians through the state’s “Freedom First Budget”:

“We’re prepared for what Biden throws our way,” he said during the speech.

“And you know, yes, part of it’s the inflation and the gas, part of it are intentionally destructive policies, like trying to deny school lunch programs for states that don’t do transgender ideology in the schools,” he continued.

A gender-neutral sign is posted outside a bathroom at Oval Park Grill on May 11, 2016 in Durham, North Carolina.  (Sara D. Davis/Getty Images)

“I mean, give me a break. Totally off his rocker to be doing that. We’re fighting on that. Don’t worry. So we’re just prepared to be able to defend the taxpayers and the hardworking people in the state of Florida, and I couldn’t be prouder for doing that,” DeSantis added.

Indeed, Biden’s Department of Agriculture last month announced its decision to tie school lunch funding to compliance with the Biden administration’s interpretation of the prohibition on discrimination found in Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, meaning schools must bow to woke transgender ideology embraced by the radical left.

The agency made the formal announcement on May 5:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announced today that it will interpret the prohibition on discrimination based on sex found in Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and in the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, as amended, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the Food Stamp Program (7 USC § 2011 et seq.), to include discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Under the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA and FNS are issuing this interpretation to help ensure its programs are open, accessible and help promote food and nutrition security, regardless of demographics.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack was pleased by the decision to threaten to tie acceptance of the radical left’s gender ideology to funding school lunches.

“USDA is committed to administering all its programs with equity and fairness, and serving those in need with the highest dignity,” Vilsack said. “A key step in advancing these principles is rooting out discrimination in any form – including discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.”

“At the same time, we must recognize the vulnerability of the LGBTQI+ communities and provide them with an avenue to grieve any discrimination they face,” he added. “We hope that by standing firm against these inequities we will help bring about much-needed change.”

As Breitbart News reported, “no government schools will be able to seek exemption from the rule — leaving it up to parents and individual school districts to fight the rule in court.”