The Florida Board of Education on Wednesday approved a policy banning the teaching of topics related to sexual orientation and gender identity in all classrooms, expanding the law that critics call “Don’t Say Gay” (“Don’t say the word “gay””) at the request of Governor Ron DeSantis, who is preparing to enter the race for the presidency of the United States.
The proposal will go into effect after a notice period of about a month, according to a spokesperson for the Department of Education.
The new policy will thus extend teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity from fourth grade (elementary) to twelfth grade (the equivalent of the first year of CEGEP in Quebec), unless they are required by existing state standards or are part of reproductive health education, which students may choose not to take.
Florida already bans this kind of class from kindergarten through third grade.
The DeSantis government introduced the proposal last month as part of its conservative platform, drawing heavily on cultural divides ahead of its impending bid for the White House.
Do not deviate from the programs
Ron DeSantis has not commented on the upcoming changes. He previously directed his questions to Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jrwho said the proposal was intended to clear up confusion around the existing law and reinforce that teachers should not deviate from current curricula.
“Our education must be based on state school standards,” Paul Burns, chancellor of the state’s public school division, told council members Wednesday.
The ban, which began last year with the law banning classes on sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through ninth grade, has drawn strong backlash from opponents. They believe that it marginalizes LGBTQ+ people and that its vague terms lead to self-censorship by teachers.
Democratic President Joe Biden has also called it “hateful”.
Retaliation against Disney
The current law has also sparked a feud with Disney, one of the state’s largest employers and political donors.
The entertainment giant publicly opposed the law last year. And as punishment, Mr. DeSantis pushed lawmakers to give him control of an autonomous district that Disney oversees at its theme park properties.
Before a series of new members appointed by Mr. DeSantis could take control of the district, the Disney board passed restrictive covenants that strip the new members of most of their powers, weakening the governor’s retaliation .
Mr. DeSantis has asked the Chief Inspector General to investigate the Disney board’s decision and has promised to take further retaliatory action against the company through legislation.