Florida’s GOP-controlled legislature passed a bill on Tuesday that bans “classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity” in kindergarten through third grade. Instruction on sexual orientation must be age appropriate for older children.
The bill – officially called “Parental Rights in Education” but dubbed “The Don’t Say Gay” by critics – now heads to the desk of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The Republican, among the country’s most enthusiastic culture warriors, has pledged to sign it into law. It would go into effect on July 1st.
Supporters of the bill claim it is not designed to eliminate classroom “discussions” about LGBTQ history or identity. Instead, they insist, it merely prohibits lesson plans that include content that that is “inappropriate” for young children.
The bill says it aims to reinforce the “fundamental right of parents to make decisions regarding upbringing and control of their children.”
If educators violate the terms in the bill, parents are empowered to sue them.
But the bill does not define what is “appropriate,” not does it establish a bright line between “discussion” and “instruction.”
The Associated Press reports:
Since its inception, the measure has drawn intense opposition from LGBTQ advocates, students, national Democrats, the White House and the entertainment industry, amid increased attention on Florida as Republicans push culture war legislation and DeSantis ascends in the GOP as a potential 2024 presidential candidate.
“What we really need to be doing is teaching tolerance, caring, loving, anti-discrimination, anti-bigotry. Tell me how this bill does that. Tell me how this bill is helping us create kind, giving, tolerate adults. I don’t see it. I see it as exactly the opposite,” said Sen. Tina Polsky, a Democrat.
CBS News adds:
Across Florida, dozens of middle and high schools staged walkouts over the bill. A 2019 survey from The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), deemed Florida’s school climate “not safe” for LGBTQ+ students, due in part to a lack of access to LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum and supportive school policies.
“The Florida state legislature is playing a dangerous political game with the health and safety of LGBTQ+ kids,” Cathryn M. Oakley, State Legislative Director and Senior Counsel at the Human Rights Campaign, said Tuesday. “The existence of LGBTQ+ people across Florida is not up for debate. We are proud parents, students, and teachers, and LGBTQ+ people deserve to exist boldly, just like everyone else.”
NBC News provides reaction from the Biden administration:
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona condemned the bill in a statement Tuesday. He said that parents are looking to national, state and district leaders to support students and help them recover from the pandemic by providing academic and mental health support.
“Instead, leaders in Florida are prioritizing hateful bills that hurt some of the students most in need,” Cardona said. “The Department of Education has made clear that all schools receiving federal funding must follow federal civil rights law, including Title IX’s protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. We stand with our LGBTQ+ students in Florida and across the country, and urge Florida leaders to make sure all their students are protected and supported.”