Ron DeSantis’s Florida fines school $16,500 for allowing trans girl to play on volleyball team

Florida officials have fined a high school $16,500 for violating the state’s transgender sports ban. School representatives will also be required to attend and host “compliance” workshops explaining how to follow the transphobic law.

The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) penalized Monarch High School for allowing a trans girl to play on its girls’ volleyball team, effectively violating the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. The law, signed in 2021 by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), bans trans females from competing in women’s and girls’ sports.

Related:

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“Thanks to [DeSantis], Florida passed legislation to protect girls’ sports and we will not tolerate any school that violates this law,” Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “We applaud the swift action taken by the FHSAA to ensure there are serious consequences for this illegal behavior.”

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The FHSAA blocked the trans athlete from playing on sports teams until November 2024, Politico reported. Additionally, the school’s leaders are required to attend FHSAA “compliance” seminars and host an “eligibility” and “compliance” workshop on campus for FHSAA members to attend by June 30, the publication added.

Additionally, the Broward County Public School District forcibly “reassigned” school leaders from the school for supporting the “improper student participation in sports.” The ousted school leaders included principal James Cecil, assistant principal Kenneth May, athletic director Dione Hester, girls’ volleyball coach Alex Burgess, and fellow coach Jessica Norton.

Their removal compelled hundreds of students at the school to hold a walkout in support of the staff members.

The trans athlete’s family sued the state over its law in 2021, arguing that it “would force [the trans athlete] to abandon the sports that mean so much to her.” Though a federal judge later rejected the lawsuit, the family has since amended and re-filed its suit. The family said it has received an “outpouring of love and support.”

“Florida’s transgender sports ban didn’t emerge from a genuine concern for school athletics — it was part of a cynical political strategy to dehumanize and scapegoat marginalized youth,” said Carlos Guillermo Smith, senior policy advisor for the state LGBTQ+ advocacy group Equality Florida and Florida state senate candidate.