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Topics: US News, Politics, Joe Biden, Sex and Relationships
Dominic Smithers
Topics: US News, Politics, Joe Biden, Sex and Relationships
The governor of Florida has signed the 'Don't Say Gay' bill into law.
Ron DeSantis signed the Parental Rights in Education bill during a visit to a school today (March 28).
The controversial piece of legislation, which has been dubbed the 'Don't Say Gay' bill by critics, prevents the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity from pre-school to third grade.
The bill states: "Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards."
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Parents will be able to sue the school over breaches.
Speaking at the school, DeSantis, who was surrounded by kids holding placards saying 'Protect Children/Support Parents', said it was about giving power back to parents.
He said: "In Florida, we not only know that parents have a right to be involved, we insist that parents have a right to be involved.
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"We will make sure that parents can send their kids to school to get an education, not an indoctrination."
The bill was mocked during the Oscars ceremony last night, with co-hosts Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer and Regina Hall repeating the word 'gay', much to the delight of the crowd.
However, DeSantis said he wouldn't be lectured by Hollywood.
He said: "If the people who held up degenerates like Harvey Weinstein as exemplars and as heroes and as all that, if those are the types of people that are opposing us on parents' rights, I wear that like a badge of honour.
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"They don't want to admit that they support a lot of the things that we're providing protections against.
"For example, they support sexualizing kids in kindergarten. They support injecting woke gender ideology into second grade classrooms.
"And so what they're doing with these slogans and these narratives is they are trying to camouflage their true intentions."
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The bill was passed by Florida’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives on February 24 and the state Senate on March 8.
Last month, US president Joe Biden branded it 'hateful'. In a tweet, the 79-year-old said: "I want every member of the LGBTQI+ community — especially the kids who will be impacted by this hateful bill — to know that you are loved and accepted just as you are.
"I have your back, and my Administration will continue to fight for the protections and safety you deserve."
The Parental Rights in Education bill become law from July 1.
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If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT Foundation on 0345 3 30 30 30, 10am–6pm Monday to Friday, or email [email protected]