03/29/2022 10:41 (act 03/29/2022 10:50)
DeSantis speaks of “indoctrination” ©APA/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA
Florida’s Conservative Governor Ron DeSantis passed a controversial law banning teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in state elementary schools. “We will ensure that parents can send their children to school for education, not indoctrination,” the Republican said before signing the law on Monday. Opposition Democrats and LGBTQ representatives were harshly critical.
They dubbed the law the “Don’t Say Gay”. The law, passed by the Conservative state legislature three weeks ago, affects children from kindergarten through third grade. It prohibits teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity “in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.” According to critics, this wording makes it possible to apply the law to older children.
Republicans dispute that the bill only prohibits the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity in the official curriculum. Teachers could continue to spontaneously talk about the topic when children asked about it.
The organization Equality Florida, which campaigns for LGBTQ rights, criticized DeSantis for signing the law. The governor’s attitude “has damaged our state’s reputation as a welcoming and inclusive place for all families, making us a laughingstock and a laughingstock across the country,” the organization said. “What’s worse, it has made schools less safe for children.”
Florida Republicans have struggled for months to give parents a bigger say in what their children learn in school. In addition to sexual orientation, it is also about dealing with racism. In February, the Florida House of Representatives passed a bill that would ban the teaching of racism issues from the official school curriculum.