Topline
Legislation that would restrict instruction on sexuality and gender identity in Florida’s classrooms – nicknamed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by opponents like Florida Democrats and human rights groups – passed a state House vote Thursday and will next go to the state Senate, where similar legislation is already being considered.
Activist Kaylee Sandell speaks at a press conference at the Florida state capital in opposition of … [+]
Key Facts
The Parental Rights in Education bill passed 69-47 largely along party lines, with every Democrat and seven Republicans voting against the legislation, which would bar instruction on sexual orientation and gender identify that is not “age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students” by state standards, and ban conversations about the topics altogether in classrooms at the third grade and below.
The bill would also give parents the power to sue any school district they believe violated the law.
Critics of the legislation, including the Human Rights Campaign, say the bill would further stigmatize and isolate LGBTQ youths – who are already more likely than their peers to experience mental health issues and attempt suicide – by barring classroom instruction about LGBTQ people and issues that affect them.
Rep. Joe Harding (R), who sponsored the bill, pushed back against criticism of the bill during the vote, saying that “creating boundaries” of what is appropriate to teach in state-funded schools “is not hate,” according to The Hill.
Earlier this week, Harding pulled one of the bill’s most controversial amendments that would have required principals to inform parents if their child came out at school, calling the media attention and nationwide backlash to the proposal “a distraction.”
The bill is headed to the state Senate, and if it passes there, to Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who previously indicated he supported the legislation.
Contra
LGBTQ organizations like the The Human Rights Campaign condemned the vote, and called on the Florida Senate to vote against the legislation. Earlier this month, President Joe Biden called the bill “hateful” and pledged that his administration would “continue to fight for the protections and safety” he said the LGBTQ community deserves.
Big Number
49%. That’s how many Floridians oppose the legislation, according to a study from the Public Opinion Research Lab at the University of North Florida, which outweighs the 40% of respondents who said they supported the bill.
Key Background
School curricula is the latest flashpoint in the culture wars. Florida is one of multiple states to have banned critical race theory from being taught in public school classrooms. Last week, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said he hoped to freeze tenure for professors at Texas public universities over the teaching of critical race theory. School district-level bans on books dealing largely with race, gender, sexuality and social inequality and race have been reported across the U.S.
Further Reading
‘Maus’ Sales Surge After Tennessee School District Bans The Holocaust Graphic Novel (Forbes)
Florida Becomes Fifth State To Bar Schools From Teaching Critical Race Theory (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2022/02/24/controversial-dont-say-gay-bill-passed-by-florida-house/