Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill prevents teachers in grades K-8 from teaching anything related to gender and sexual orientation saying such lessons are, “not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
The “Parental Rights in Education” bill has been passed by the state Senate and House and is expected to be signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis who has intimated his support without making a formal declaration.
Republican Florida State Representative Joe Harding said in an ABC news podcast, “What we’re preventing is a school district deciding they’re going to create a curriculum to insert themselves.”
The central argument of those supporting the bill is that children are being subjected to a liberal political agenda.
Ginny Gentles, a political pundit and former state and federal education policy leader, told Real Clear Education, “…children are vulnerable to classroom materials created to fulfill a political agenda, rather than provide academically useful and age-appropriate instruction.”
President Joe Biden tweeted a denouncement of the bill saying he wanted those impacted by it, “to know that you are loved and accepted just as you are.”
Though New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy hasn’t directly denounced the bill, he has continued to show his commitment to LGBTQ rights as he codified gay marriage into state law earlier this year.
Mercer County Community College’s LGBTQ+ group, Rainbow Alliance, has held discussions about the bill being passed.
President Christian Perez weighed both sides of the bill, saying, “I can understand in part why it would be passed, but I can’t overlook that it would be a foundation used for something bigger and more impactful and more dangerous.”
Vice President Will Zottman agreed, saying, “I see the gray area when it comes to Kindergarten, but I remember having health classes in second and third grade where kids would have questions. It should be up to educators to answer them and not shun them.”
