Ron DeSantis Set to Expand Florida's “Don’t Say Gay” Law to All Grades
Governor Ron DeSantis has moved to apply the state's "Don't Say Gay" law, which bans any mention of LGBTQ+ people in K-3rd grade classrooms, to all levels of public school up through 12th grade.
The proposed rule , titled "Principles of Professional Conduct for the Education Profession in Florida," would make it illegal to provide classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in fourth through 12th grade classes. There would be an exception for lessons that would be expressly required by the state, or as part of a reproductive health lesson. However, students' parents must also have the option to opt their children out of lessons if the latter applies.
Teachers who are found to violate the rule could have their teaching licenses suspended or revoked, according to the Orlando Sentinel , which first reported the rule change. Notably, DeSantis' proposal would not require legislative approval, and is set to be voted on April 19 by the State Board of Education.
The Board of Education consists of eight members who are appointed by the Governor. The governing body has previously voted in favor of a rule that harshly restricts trans students' ability to use the bathroom at school and voted to ban "critical race theory" from classrooms. The Board has also previously voted on other expansions of "Don't Say Gay;" in October, the Board voted in favor of a rule that threatens teachers with termination of their job and education certificate if they violated the law. The version of the legislation that was originally signed into law provided that parents could sue school districts, but did not specify consequences for individual teachers.
Brandon Wolf, spokesperson for Equality Florida, told the Sentinel that the rule was part of a "larger, disturbing trend" of conservatives pulling "every lever of government to censor conversations about LGBTQ people."
He added that the goal seems to be to paint LGBTQ+ people as "wrong, or that we should be written out of society."
On Tuesday, one day before DeSantis proposed the new rule, former Florida House member Joe Harding, who sponsored the initial "Don't Say Gay" bill, pled guilty to fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 funds. He has been charged with one count of wire fraud, one count of money laundering, and one count of making false statements, according to NPR . Harding could spend up to 35 years in prison, with a sentencing hearing scheduled for July 25.
Since DeSantis signed "Don't Say Gay" into law last March, six other states — Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama — have enacted similar laws, according to the Movement Advancement Project . Three other states — Montana, Arizona, and Tennessee — additionally require parental notification of LGBTQ+ inclusive curricula, including the option to opt students out.
Get the best of what's queer. Sign up for Them 's weekly newsletter here.
Originally Appeared on them.
