Florida Republicans have passed a bill to forbid instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to sign the proposal, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by opponents, into law.
, now moves to the desk of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to sign it into law.
Republican Rep. Joe Harding, who sponsored the measure, and other GOP lawmakers in Florida have argued that parents should be broaching these subjects with their children, rather than educators. It would not bar spontaneous discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools but instead is intended to prevent districts from integrating the subjects into official curriculum, Harding and supporters have said.
Statewide, the bill has sparked a swell of protests and student walkouts. Dozens of students and advocates flooded committee rooms during the proposal’s early stages and then packed into the halls of the legislature as it moved toward final passage, often with chants of “We say gay!”“We have failed as a legislature if hundreds of kids stand outside screaming for their rights and you can’t explain to fifth graders and sixth graders and eighth graders simple definitions of your bill.