TALLAHASSEE: At the request of Governor Ron DeSantis, the Florida Board of Education on Wednesday authorized a restriction on classroom education concerning sexual orientation and gender identity in all grades, extending the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” statute.
Details
According to a representative for the education department, the idea won’t go into force for roughly a month during the procedural notice period.
Lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity would be prohibited from grades 4 through 12 unless mandated by state standards or included in reproductive health training that students can opt out of.
Florida presently prohibits such lessons in kindergarten through third grade in Florida.
DeSantis put forward the proposal
The idea was put up by the DeSantis administration last month as part of the hardline conservative agenda of the Republican Party, with the governor primarily relying on racial and cultural divisions in advance of his presidential campaign.
DeSantis hasn’t offered any feedback on the idea. He had previously questioned Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr., who responded that it was intended to dispel any misunderstandings surrounding the current law and to emphasize the need to stick to the established curricula.
The banning has faced harsh criticism from those who claim it marginalizes LGBTQ+ individuals and includes ambiguous language that causes teachers to self-censor. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, described it as “hateful.”
Disney’s present law
A long-running dispute with Disney, one of the state’s biggest employers and a major political donor is also a result of the existing statute.
DeSantis pushed lawmakers to provide him control of a self-governing zone that Disney oversees in its theme park facilities after the entertainment behemoth openly opposed the proposal last year.
Disney’s board imposed restrictive covenants that deprived the incoming members of the majority of their authority before a group of new DeSantis appointees could take control of the district, tempering the governor’s vengeance.
