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    • 'Don't Say Gay' bill signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
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    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Monday that forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, a policy that has drawn intense national scrutiny from critics who argue it marginalizes LGBTQ2S+ people.

    The legislation has pushed Florida and DeSantis, an ascending Republican and potential 2024 presidential candidate, to the forefront of the country's culture wars, with LGBTQ2S+ advocates, students, Democrats, the entertainment industry and the White House denouncing what critics have called the 鈥淒on't Say Gay鈥 bill.

    DeSantis and other Republicans have repeatedly said the measure is reasonable and that parents, not teachers, should be broaching subjects of sexual orientation and gender identity with their children

    鈥淲e will make sure that parents can send their kids to school to get an education, not an indoctrination,鈥 DeSantis said to applause before he signed the bill into law.

    The bill states: 鈥淐lassroom 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.鈥 Parents would be able to sue districts over violations.

    DeSantis signed the bill after a news conference held at the Classical Preparatory School in Spring Hill, about 46 miles (74 kilometres) north of Tampa. The school was founded by Anne Corcoran, wife of Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, according to The Gainesville Sun.

    Public backlash began almost immediately after the bill was introduced, with early criticism lobbed by Chasten Buttigieg, the husband of U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and condemnation from LGBTQ2S+ advocacy groups. Democratic President Joe Biden called it 鈥渉ateful.鈥

    As the bill moved through the legislature, celebrities mobilized against it on social media, and criticized it at this year's Academy Awards. Florida students staged walkouts and packed into committee rooms and statehouse halls to protest the measure, often with booming chants of 鈥淲e say gay!鈥

    The Walt Disney Company, a powerful player in Florida politics, suspended its political donations in the state, and LGBTQ2S+ advocates who work for the company criticized CEO Bob Chapek for what they said was his slow response speaking out against the bill. Some walked off the job in protest. After DeSantis signed the measure, the company released a statement saying, 鈥淥ur goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that.鈥

    Throughout debate in the GOP-controlled statehouse, Democrats have said the bill's language, particularly the phrases 鈥渃lassroom instruction鈥 and 鈥渁ge appropriate,鈥 could be interpreted so broadly that discussion in any grade could trigger lawsuits and create a classroom atmosphere where teachers would avoid the subjects entirely.

    鈥淭he bill's intentionally vague language leaves teachers afraid to talk to their students and opens up school districts to costly and frivolous litigation from those seeking to exclude LGBTQ2S+ people from any grade level,鈥 said state Rep. Carlos G. Smith, a Democrat who is gay. 鈥淓ven worse, #DontSayGay sends a hateful message to our most vulnerable youth who simply need our support.鈥

    Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association, said the bill amounts to a political wedge issue for Republicans because elementary schools, especially in kindergarten through third grade, do not teach about these subjects and have state curriculum standards guiding classroom lessons.

    鈥淭his bill is based on a falsehood, and that falsehood is that somehow we're teaching kids inappropriate topics at an early age, and clearly we're not,鈥 Spar said.

    The bill's sponsor, Republican Rep. Joe Harding, has said it would not bar spontaneous discussions about sexual orientation or gender identity in schools but would prevent districts from integrating the subjects into official curriculum. During the bill's early stages, Harding sought to require schools to inform parents if a student came out as LGBTQ2S+ to a teacher. He withdrew the amendment after it picked up attention online.

    鈥淣othing in the amendment was about outing a student. Rather than battle misinformation related to the amendment, I decided to focus on the primary bill that empowers parents to be engaged in their children's lives,鈥 he said in a statement.

    At the bill signing ceremony Monday, several young children accompanied DeSantis and other politicians near the podium, with some holding signs bearing the governor's 鈥淧rotect Children/Support Parents鈥 slogan. DeSantis gave the children the pens he used to sign the bill.

    The White House, which has sparred with the DeSantis administration over a range of policies, has issued statements against the bill.

    U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona recently held a call with LGBTQ2S+ students in Florida and said in a statement issued Monday that his agency 鈥渨ill be monitoring this law upon implementation to evaluate whether it violates federal civil rights law.鈥

    For teachers in Florida, the bill has caused some confusion over what is allowed in the classroom as well as concerns over frivolous lawsuits, said Michael Woods, a special education teacher in Palm Beach County with about three decades of experience.

    鈥淔rom the start, I thought it was a solution in search of a problem, and the sad part about it is, I think it's going to have a chilling effect on making sure that young people, students have a safe learning environment,鈥 he said.

    Correction

    This story has been edited to clarify that Disney people who walked off the job were not theme park workers, but other employees of the company.

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