TALLAHASSEE – A controversial piece of education legislation dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill, passed the Florida Senate on Tuesday and now heads to the desk of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Officially titled, HB 1557: Parental Rights in Education, the bill would prohibit classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through 3rd grade. For higher grade levels, the bill somewhat vaguely indicates that instruction should be "age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate" by state academic standards.
The bill was previously amended to remove its most controversial element, a requirement that could have forced school officials to out closeted LGBTQ students to their parents under certain circumstances.It does, however, allow parents to sue schools or teachers that engage in the prohibited topics.
Locally, representatives Tommy Gregory (R) voted in favor of the House version of the bill, while Will Robinson (R) voted against it. In the Senate, Republican Senator Jim Boyd voted in favor of the bill on Tuesday. DeSantis, who had proposed similar legislation going into the session, is expected to sign the bill into law.
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