Ron DeSantis is expanding his “Antiwoke” crusade. The Florida Board of Education this Wednesday approved the extension of the controversial law banning instruction in sexual orientation and gender identity, known to its critics as Don’t Say Gay, to all school levels. Board members voted in favor of the measure, which was proposed by the state’s conservative governor, who is preparing a race for the Republican nomination for the White House.
DeSantis signed the controversial rule in March last year. Since then, state education teachers have been banned from discussing these issues with students from kindergarten through third grade of elementary school. The extension, announced this Wednesday, extends to students in fourth grade and through twelfth grade, the final level of the institute. The ban then applies to children between the ages of five and 18.
The extension of the law comes into effect in a month, once all centers in the region of 21 million people can be notified. That was one of the promises made a few weeks ago by DeSantis, who is trying to brush up on its conservative and libertarian profile in a bid to distance itself from its main rival in the Republican primary, former President Donald Trump.
The Parents’ Rights in Education Act, as it is officially known, met with fierce opposition when it passed the state Congress. The 35 Democratic congressmen in the lower house voted against it. They were joined by seven Republican lawmakers who disagreed with the executive branch’s proposed content. Nevertheless, thanks to the comfortable majority that the Conservatives hold in the local legislature, the rule passed without problems.
Since then, the rule has been unanimously criticized by LGBTQ groups across the United States. “To be clear, this is part of the governor’s assault on our liberties,” said Joe Saunders, director of Equality Florida, a non-heterosexual rights organization. “This policy stigmatizes and isolates our younger population just when they need us most,” Saunders added in a statement.
Shortly after the news broke, Florida Congress passed a set of rules aimed at the LGTBQ community. One of them, SB 254, bans an organization with 1.3 million doctors in the country from treating trans children. It also limits the scope of parents who want to provide medical assistance to minors in transition. However, this bill must be returned to the Senate for review.
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Another initiative, HB 1521, penalizes transgender people who use public toilets that don’t match their original gender. It also prohibits inclusive toilets in schools, shops, public housing, hospitals and prisons.
All of this comes on top of a series of ultra-conservative measures implemented with the approval of the local executive branch. These include the censorship of books on topics considered controversial by some families, or the categorical ban on masks during the coronavirus epidemic. The governor has also launched a war against Disney, Florida’s largest employer and one of the largest corporations, to oppose the Don’t Say Gay rule.
The fight against Disney
The battle between DeSantis and Disney opened a new chapter when the governor was able to appoint five members to the panel that oversees the entertainment giant’s board of directors thanks to a Republican-approved legislative reform. It’s the first time in 55 years that the company hasn’t had full control of the board of directors.
DeSantis-appointed members this Friday complained about the little cooperation they found upon arrival. “We wanted to work with them, but Disney decided they didn’t want to work with us. It was his way of doing things, or nothing at all,” Martin García, who holds one of the seats appointed by the Florida governor, assured this Wednesday.
The five board members struggle to increase their influence over decisions about the company’s future. Disney announced last year that it plans to donate 80 acres of land it uses to an independent company to build affordable housing for its employees. DeSantis officials have indicated they have other things on their mind, including buying more land that could then be sold to developers to pay off debt for the Central Florida Tourism District. The pulse between the parties promises to go further.
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