Florida Board Approves Extension of ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Law, Banning LGBTQ+ Teaching in Schools

2023-04-20 03:00:27

This Wednesday, April 19, a Florida state board approved an extension of the law called by the media as ‘Don’t say gay’, which marks that from now on school teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity will be prohibited at all educational levels from The third grade. Last year the same thing happened with preschool up to the third year of primary school.

This signals a new political victory for Governor Ron DeSantis, who gains new momentum in favor of his possible candidacy. in the Republican race. His name already sounds like one of the favorites.

The new regulation endorsed by the Board of Education notes that lessons for grades 4 through 12 are excluded — unless they are required by state standards or in reproductive health instruction that students or their families can choose not to take.

This new proposal will take effect in regarding a month, following a bureaucratic period.

“All we are doing is setting the expectations so that our teachers are clear. They must teach to the standards,” Education Commissioner Manny Díaz Jr. justified.

Strong opposition to the measure

The prohibition has generated a deep rejection of the national Democratic sector and activists in the field, who emphasize that this seeks to exclude the existence of people from the LGBTIQ+ community, added to the rights cuts that the Republican administration has made in Florida in recent months.

For example, the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, called it “a new attack.” “This is not regarding the kids, this is regarding eliminating the LGBTQ+ community,” he lashed out.

While the candidate for senator from Florida, Carlos Guillermo Smith, who belongs to the LGBTQ + community, remarked on his Twitter account that “it was never, ever, ever regarding protecting children.”

Other reforms promoted by DeSantis

In this way, the advancement of the ultra-conservative agenda that DeSantis wants to implement in Florida continues.

On this same day, the Chamber also approved the projects on gender transition treatments, the use of bathrooms other than those corresponding to the gender that was assigned at birth and to deny the presence of children in the shows of drag, which have been in DeSantis’ sights for a long time. Some measures that are seen as multiple blows to the LGBTQ + community.

The agency also endorsed a bill to make gender-aware medical care for transgender minors a felony. In this regard, Republican Chase Tramont launched controversial words during his speech: “You are a man or a woman, this is not subject to one’s opinion. It is a demonstrable fact. This is solid as a rock, irreversible, validated by science and our medical community. Period.”

In return, the Democrats insisted that gender dysphoria —a term by which it is known one to a person’s deep sense of discomfort and grief derived from when their biological sex does not match their gender identity— It is a real matter, which can have repercussions on the psychology of children and the decisions should be made by the parents and not by the State.

Abortion, DeSantis’ previous “victory”

A week ago, the Florida Republican government also dealt a heavy blow to reproductive rights, accepting new restrictions on the voluntary termination of pregnancy. A hot topic in US politics since the repeal of Roe v. Wade, which allowed legal abortion throughout the United States, last year.

With 70 votes in favor and 40 once morest, The state House of Representatives approved the project that reduces the chances of performing an abortion to just six weeks. The matter was left in the hands of the Republican governor, who, according to analysts consulted by this outlet, is basing his cycle in Florida to accentuate conservative policies and win supporters within the party thinking regarding the presidential elections.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said it is “extreme and dangerous.” “She goes once morest fundamental freedoms and is out of step with the views of the vast majority of the people of Florida,” she added.

While the vice president, Kamala Harris, said that this new law would “deny women access to basic health care.”

However, the proposal maintains the traditional exceptions, such as abortion in cases of rape, incest or human trafficking, although they must be demonstrated with specific documentation.

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