Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. (Photo by Gage Skidmore, from Wikimedia Commons – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license)
Speaking with reporters during a press event Feb. 7, Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis noted that in his view it was “entirely inappropriate” for teachers and school administrators to have conversations with students about their gender identity.
The governor also noted that in some of the state’s schools, children are told “Don’t worry, don’t pick your gender yet.” DeSantis then testily pointed out that “Schools need to be teaching kids to read, to write. […] They need to teach them science, history. We need more civics and understanding of the US Constitution, what makes our country unique, all those basic things.”
DeSantis has proven to be completely opposed to LGBTQ equality rights, his attention especially focused on Florida’s transgender community. Last June as Pride Month commenced, DeSantis angered LGBTQ advocacy groups and allies for stripping all funding for LGBTQ programs from the state budget. These actions following his signing an education bill amended to include a previous stand alone bill, specifically targeting transgender girls and young women, banning them from playing on female sports teams.
His remarks sent a signal that he is in favor of legislation, which opponents have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which is on the agenda for the Feb. 8 meeting of the State Senate Education Committee. A Republican majority Florida House Education & Employment Committee passed HB 1557, the Parental Rights in Education bill, colloquially referred to as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill advancing the measure to the full House for a vote last month.
“DeSantis is taking a page from Anita Bryant’s playbook, using anti-LGBTQ legislation as a springboard to serve his national political ambitions,” said Nadine Smith, Equality Florida Executive Director. “From banning books and electronic monitoring of teachers to white-washing history and allowing the state to dictate our health care decisions, DeSantis is committed to an agenda of censorship and surveillance that intrudes on all aspects of our lives.
“His political agenda is driven not by the real pressing needs of our state but his desire to peel away Trump supporters as the two Floridians jockey for the 2024 Republican presidential primary. He is willing to inflict harm on the most vulnerable in our state in order to shore up his extremist base,” Smith added.
HB 1557, and its companion Senate bill SB 1834, would ban classroom discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, erasing LGBTQ identity, history and culture — as well as LGBTQ students themselves.
The bill also has provisions that appear to undermine LGBTQ support in schools and include vague parental notification requirements which could effectively “out” LGBTQ-identifying students to their parents without their consent.
“The Trevor Project’s research has found that LGBTQ youth who learned about LGBTQ issues or people in classes at school had 23% lower odds of reporting a suicide attempt in the past year. This bill will erase young LGBTQ students across Florida, forcing many back into the closet by policing their identity and silencing important discussions about the issues they face,” said Sam Ames, Director of Advocacy and Government Affairs at The Trevor Project. “LGBTQ students deserve their history and experiences to be reflected in their education, just like their peers.”
