FLA HOUSE PASSES ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ PART 2

Jason Parsley

The Florida House is coming for your pronouns.

On March 31, GOP lawmakers passed a “Don’t Say Gay” expansion (HB 1069) by a vote of 77-35, with two Republicans opposing the measure.

Last year’s Parental Rights in Education bill, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law, restricted classroom discussions of gender identity and sexual orientation in public schools through third grade.

This year’s bill expands it through eighth grade. The measure also allows anyone in the district to object to any material in the classroom, or school library, or on a reading list that depicts or describes any sexual conduct, even if it is not pornographic, if it is not for a health course. The offending material would be removed pending investigation and subject to permanent removal.

A notable addition to this year’s bill targets pronouns prohibiting school staffers or students from being required to refer to people by pronouns that don’t correspond to the person’s sex.

“The Florida House’s decision to expand the infamous ‘Don’t Say LGBTQ+’ law, despite widespread pushback from students, parents, and teachers from across the state, is a disservice to Floridians,” said Maxx Fenning, president of Prism, an LGBT youth services organization in South Florida. “Students deserve to feel seen and heard in their schools and to learn about all people, not just the ones that make conservatives comfortable.” of Orlando. One Democrat supported the measure last year as well James Bush III – he was defeated in his 2022 primary race. Vance Aloupis of Miami, and Amber Mariano of Hudson did not seek re-election.

To add insult to injury the House passed the bill on the International Transgender Day of Visibility.

“The LGTBQ+ community continues to be vilified and degraded by this State Legislature,” said Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Steve Glassman. “I continue to speak out at our City Commission meetings because no one should remain silent and the hate and bigotry coming out of Tallahassee must be challenged.” students find a safe space in our department. A space where they can feel heard and seen.”

Brandon Wolf, press secretary for Equality Florida, blasted DeSantis, accusing him of just trying to further his presidential ambitions.

Since joining WAM last year, Dyer’s top priority has been growing the organization’s footprint. This trip to Illinois is a big step.

“HIV does not discriminate against race, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status. Therefore, education about the disease should not discriminate as well. Our work at WAM is drastically being affected by the bans in the state of Florida, so it is more important than ever for us to expand messaging. Partnering with universities across the country, corporations, and tours will allow us the opportunity to fulfill our mission on a larger scale.”

The bill still needs to be approved by the senate and signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis. But DeSantis has already moved forward with expanding his “Don’t Say Gay” agenda by putting forth a proposal before the state Board of Education that would restrict classroom discussion through the 12th grade.

The two Republicans who opposed the bill are state Reps. Demi Busatta Cabrera of Coral Gables and Will Robinson of Bradenton. Last year the bill passed 69-47 in the House with seven Republicans breaking ranks to oppose the measure. Three of them switched sides this year to support the expansion including Chip LaMarca of Lighthouse Point, Jim Mooney of Islamorada, and Rene Plasencia

“The legislature has made itself an arm of the DeSantis 2024 campaign. More book bans will come. More classroom censorship will come. More educators will flee the profession. More families will wonder whether Florida is the right place to raise their children. All in service to DeSantis’ desperation to be president and the cowardice of those lawmakers who refuse to stand up to his regime,” Wolf said. “Shame on DeSantis’ cronies for peddling more anti-LGBTQ lies on the House floor and ramming through an expansion of the censorship policies that have emptied bookshelves across the state and wreaked havoc on our schools. Shame on them for ignoring the voices outside demanding a state that respects all families and protects all students.”