The policies in Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, a/k/a the “Don’t Say Gay” law, are getting a lot of pushback.
The new law restricts how children are taught about sexual and gender identity.
Parents, students and advocates for LGBTQ+ students have asked a federal judge to stop the implementation of the law in Florida.
In the Friday court filing, the opponents to the policies said that “Don’t Say Gay” violates their First Amendment, equal-protection and due-process rights.
As of Monday, the court has not acted on the request.
The purpose of the law is to regulate what teachers present in the classroom. The law prohibits teachers from teaching about gender identity issues or sexual orientation topics to kids in third grade and under, but it also regulates what older children are taught.
The advocates believe that the law discriminates against LGBTQ+ students and their family members, and will result in more violence and abuse, including an increased risk of suicide.
One of the most controversial aspects of the new education guidelines is that schools must notify parents if they are recommending or implementing counseling or other services for mental health issues, which consequently can lead to legal action if the school personnel do not comply with informing parents. This policy was put into the guidelines because some parents have suggested that school personnel are encouraging their children to think about their gender identity and even helping them try to change it.
The parents and advocates believe that the ambiguousness of the law can lead to misinterpretation and further discrimination.
The law, supported by Florida’s GOP Governor Ron DeSantis, has prompted some schools to ban library books and there is talk about changing textbooks.
In defense of his thinking, which many parents in Florida agree with, DeSantis said, “… You know, you teach reading, math, science, the basic stuff. And you don’t teach gender ideology, CRT, the sexuality in the elementary schools. That’s not very difficult to know and that’s not very difficult to understand.”
The debate and vitriol has gotten to the point where school staff are afraid of being attacked for the photos they display on their desks.
