Florida Senate Votes To Expand 'Don't Say Gay' Law Through 8th Grade And Restrict Preferred Pronouns

Topline

Florida’s state Senate voted along party lines Wednesday to approve an expansion to the state’s controversial ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law, sending the bill to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), who is expected to sign it into law—despite heavy criticism from Democrats and as the state faces legal action from Disney stemming from a feud over the law.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is expected to sign a bill to expand a policy dubbed by critics as the … [+] “Don’t Say Gay” law.

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Key Facts

Florida’s Senate voted 27-12, with all 12 Democrats opposed, to approve the expansion to the state’s Parental Rights in Education law, which if signed into law by DeSantis would prohibit classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity through eighth grade.

The law, which came into effect last year despite pushback from Democrats and LGBTQ-rights organizations, initially banned instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation between kindergarten and third grade—though Florida’s Board of Education voted unanimously last month to expand the law through the 12th grade at DeSantis’ request.

Republican state Sen. Clay Yarborough, who sponsored the bill, told reporters an expansion through law, as opposed to a rule change approved by a state agency, “establishes a floor” and creates a back-up in case the Board of Education’s rule ever changes, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

Under the proposal, schools would also be prohibited from asking students to use preferred pronouns, while another bill approved by the state Senate Wednesday would ban state colleges from funding diversity, equity and inclusion programs—DeSantis, who is expected to launch a 2024 presidential campaign, is also expected to sign that bill into law.

Florida Democrats condemned the proposed expansion, with state Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book arguing it “marginalizes children” and “insults the professionalism of educators.”

Key Background

The state Senate’s vote Wednesday comes as tensions between the DeSantis Administration and Walt Disney World, one of the state’s largest employers, sour over the so-called Don’t Say Gay law. DeSantis’ primary tactic has been to weaken Disney’s power through a longstanding special district overseeing the park, after company executives condemned the Parental Rights in Education law and said its “goal as a company is for this law to be repealed” or struck down in court. Last June, DeSantis signed a bill approved by the state’s Republican-led legislature to repeal the decades-long Reedy Creek Improvement Act, which created the special district. In February, he overhauled it, naming five appointees to the board. Last week, Disney filed a lawsuit against DeSantis and the special district board, after that board declared a Disney-supported development agreement that takes power away from the board “void and unenforceable,” prompting the board to countersue Disney.

Florida Senate Votes To Expand ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Law Through 8th Grade And Restrict Preferred Pronouns

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