{"id":5993,"date":"2026-06-30T19:35:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T19:35:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=5993"},"modified":"2026-06-30T19:35:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T19:35:41","slug":"florida-ag-seeks-to-block-transgender-competitor-from-irish-dance-contest-in-orlando","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=5993","title":{"rendered":"Florida AG seeks to block transgender competitor from Irish Dance contest in Orlando"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Top Florida Republicans are seeking to block a transgender girl who is a defending Irish Dance champion from competing in the girls\u2019 division of the national competition this week in Orlando, saying the teen\u2019s participation violates state law.<\/p>\n

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\u201cYour policy of forcing women to compete against biological men who identify as women in your women\u2019s categories deprives women of the full and equal enjoyment of fair competition\u2026\u201d Attorney General James Uthmeier wrote in a letter to the competition\u2019s governing bodies and posted on X,\u00a0 formerly known as Twitter. \u201cMy office will not tolerate these sorts of policies, and will take all necessary steps to safeguard the rights and interests of Florida\u2019s female competitors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Uthmeier\u2019s four-page warning to the Irish Dance Teachers\u2019 Association of North America and The Irish Dancing Commission,\u00a0 followed a similar chiding to the groups by U.S. Reps. Randy Fine and Greg Steube, who alleged the competition\u2019s inclusivity policy enabled \u201ca trans-identifying male to repeatedly steal titles from female peers\u201d in Florida and elsewhere.<\/p>\n

All three cited Florida\u2019s Fairness in Women\u2019s Sports Act which requires all public K-12 schools, colleges and universities in Florida to designate their athletic teams strictly on the basis of biological sex \u2014 for males, females or coed \u2014 and prohibits male students from participating on female-designated teams.<\/p>\n

The objections came as the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld states\u2019 rights to ban trans athletes from girls\u2019 sports. It wasn\u2019t immediately clear how that decision or Florida law would apply to a dance competition not affiliated with prep or collegiate sports.<\/p>\n

The North American Irish Dance Championships begin Thursday and run through July 7 at the Rosen Centre on I-Drive. The national event serves as a qualifier for next year\u2019s world championships.<\/p>\n

Uthmeier set a deadline of Tuesday for the groups to respond to his letter.<\/p>\n

The groups did not reply to emails from the Orlando Sentinel about the controversy, but in past years they have consistently defended their policy allowing trans dancers to choose how to compete.\u00a0 \u201cNothing in the world gives you an advantage but hard work,\u201d one supporter of the groups told the Sentinel.<\/p>\n

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In a letter to Frank Santos, CEO of the Rosen Centre, Fine wrote, \u201cThe organizers declined to alter their policy, responding that the North American Irish Dance Championships are \u2018not a sporting event\u2019 but rather \u2018an Irish dance event\u2019 and that they consider Irish dance to be an art form. Based on that position, the organizers have indicated they intend to proceed under their existing eligibility policy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fine urged Santos to \u201cengage promptly with event organizers, take all appropriate steps to ensure compliance with Florida law, and to consider the potential legal and reputational implications of hosting the championships under the organizers\u2019 current policy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fine\u2019s letter identified the teen by name and \u201cas a biological male who identifies as a girl (who) won first place in the Girls U15 and Girls U16 division, respectively\u201d in 2024 and 2025.<\/p>\n

Uthmeier, however, did not name the teen, and the Orlando Sentinel is not identifying the dancer by name because she is a minor.<\/p>\n

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Maggie McKneely, a former Irish Dance competitor and now government relations director for Concerned Women for America, said her socially conservative organization had urged Uthmeier to put dance officials on notice that their competition\u2019s rules clash with Florida law.<\/p>\n

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She said the transgender girl had previously competed as a boy in boy\u2019s divisions without winning before she won titles in girls\u2019 divisions at the North American championships, including at previous events in Orlando, where the North Carolina high school student is registered to compete again in a girl\u2019s division this week.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll see if this changes that,\u201d McKneely said, suggesting she might drop out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know people think of dance as an art form and that gender shouldn\u2019t matter much, but Irish dance is extremely athletic and competitive,\u201d McKneely said. \u201cMen obviously have much greater physical capability. They\u2019re able to jump higher, which matters in Irish dance. They\u2019re able to move faster and do more complex rhythm patterns, and they have greater stamina. Rounds are several minutes long, and if you just have greater endurance, you\u2019re able to do more and perform better, and the judges smile on that.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo men do have a distinct physical advantage in competitive Irish dance,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Uthmeier also rebuked the organizing groups\u2019 policies which allow a dancer to compete in divisions \u201cthat align with their gender identity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFlorida has made clear its commitment to preserving fairness, integrity, and equal\u00a0 opportunity for women and girls through its laws. Sex-based competitive categories exist for legitimate reasons grounded in biological realities and longstanding principles of fair competition,\u201d he wrote. \u201cOrganizations conducting events in this state must understand that Florida rejects efforts to erase the meaning of biological sex in the name of ideology and that such efforts may violate Florida law when they discriminate\u00a0 against women.\u201d<\/p>\n

Appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis after managing the governor\u2019s failed presidential campaign, Uthmeier has confronted other sports organizations for practices and policies which he deems to be discriminatory, including the NFL and Major League Baseball.<\/p>\n

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