Fact check: Post misleads on requirements for Florida female student athletes, gun holders

Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY
·5 min read
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The claim: Florida requires female student-athletes' menstrual history but not proof of training to carry a gun without a permit

A Feb. 3 Instagram post (direct link, archived link) shows a screenshot of a tweet making multiple claims.

"Under Ron DeSantis, Florida girls ARE required to provide their menstrual history just to play sports," reads the tweet. "Floridians are NOT required to provide any proof of training to carry guns without a permit. GOP 'Alpha Males' are more afraid of our vaginas than they are of weapons of war."

The original tweet accumulated nearly 7,000 likes in less than three weeks. An Instagram post with the same claim from the left-wing account Being Liberal accumulated nearly 7,000 likes before it was recently corrected.

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Our rating: False

Both parts of this claim are wrong. Female students are not required to submit records of their menstrual history to play sports in Florida, as a recent proposal in this vein was voted down. And to legally carry  a concealed firearm in Florida, one must obtain a license and provide proof of training.

Female student-athletes not required to submit menstrual history

Students' menstrual history became an issue when the sports medicine advisory committee of the Florida High School Athletic Association proposed a change to the forms female students must fill out to play sports. The association is the state’s official governing body for interscholastic athletics, according to its website.

Florida requires students to fill out a form that has mandatory questions on medical history and physical examination and optional questions for females on their menstrual cycle. The information has to be turned over to the athlete's school, contrary to other states that require only the physician's signature page to clear them to play, the Palm Beach Post reported.

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On Jan. 17, the committee recommended the association's board adopt a national sports registration form – used by more than a dozen other states – that includes mandatory questions on periods, according to the Palm Beach Post. 

At the time the post was shared, the recommendation had not been implemented, as the Miami Herald reported. After public outcry, the association board held a meeting on Feb. 9 and approved the new form without any menstrual questions, according to the Palm Beach Post.

Robert Sefcik, a member of the sports medicine advisory committee for the Florida High School Athletic Association, confirmed to USA TODAY that female student-athletes are not required to submit their menstrual history to play sports.

PolitiFact and the Associated Press debunked a similar claim.

License and proof of training are required for concealed carry

This element of the claim also appears to confuse a proposal with what is current law.

A bill proposed by Florida state Rep. Charles Brannon and supported by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis could allow people to carry concealed loaded guns without a permit, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. The bill has passed committees in both houses and is expected to be taken up by the full Florida House in March.

But this is not the current law in Florida.

Florida bans open carry, when someone publicly carries a legally owned firearm that is partially concealed or in plain sight, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

Florida does allow concealed carry, when a person carries a legally owned firearm hidden from public view, according to Daniel Webster, co-director of the Center for Gun Violence Solutions at Johns Hopkins University. But for concealed carry, one must obtain a permit and undergo a background check, Aaron Keller, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, told USA TODAY.

Protesters hold signs to protest gun violence at a student sit-in at the Michigan Capitol building following a mass shooting at Michigan State University earlier in the week in Lansing, Mich., on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023.
Protesters hold signs to protest gun violence at a student sit-in at the Michigan Capitol building following a mass shooting at Michigan State University earlier in the week in Lansing, Mich., on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023.

Residents must be at least 21 years old, demonstrate "competency with a firearm" through documentation of approved training courses, and be a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the U.S. to be eligible for a permit, according to the department.

Fact check: About 2.5 million people have concealed carry permits in Florida

A person who openly carries a gun in Florida without a valid permit can be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor that carries up to a $500 fine or a maximum of 60 days in jail, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. There are exemptions for certain groups, such as law enforcement, military and guards.

USA TODAY reached out to the social media users who shared the claim for comment.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Post misleads on Florida requirements for sports, guns