Florida Board of Education Approves Extension of Don’t Say Gay Law in Ron DeSantis’ Latest Anti-Woke Crusade

Ron DeSantis expands his crusade antiwoke. The Florida Board of Education has approved this Wednesday the extension to all school grades of the controversial law that prohibits the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity, known among its detractors as don’t say gay. Board members have voted in favor of the measure, which was proposed by the conservative state governor, who is preparing a race to win the Republican nomination for the White House.

DeSantis signed the controversial rule in March of last year. Since then, teachers in the state education system have been prohibited from discussing these issues with students from kindergarten to third grade of primary school. The extension announced this Wednesday extends the measure to fourth grade students and up to twelfth grade, the last level of the institute. The prohibition then covers children from five years to 18.

The extension of the law will enter into force in a month, once all the centers in the region of 21 million inhabitants can be notified. This was one of the promises made a few weeks ago by DeSantis, who is trying to polish his conservative and libertarian profile to distance himself from who will be his main rival in the Republican primaries, former President Donald Trump.

During its passage through the state Congress, the Law of the Rights of Parents in Education, its official name, provoked a strong rejection. The 35 Democratic congressmen in the lower house voted against it. They were joined by seven Republican legislators, who did not agree with the content proposed by the Executive. Despite this, the rule was approved without problems thanks to the comfortable majority that the conservatives have in the local legislature.

Since then, the rule has been unanimously criticized by LGBTQ groups in the United States. “To put it plainly: This is part of the governor’s assault on our freedoms,” said Joe Saunders, a director at Equality Florida, a non-heterosexual rights organization. “These policies stigmatize and isolate our younger population just when they need us most,” added Saunders. it’s a statement.

Shortly after the news broke, the Florida Congress has voted a package of rules aimed at the LGTBQ community. One of them, SB 254, prohibits an organization that has 1.3 million doctors in the country from serving trans children. It also limits the leeway of parents who want to provide medical help to minors who are in the process of transition. This law, however, must return to the Senate for review.

In another of the initiatives, HB 1521, penalizes transgender people who use public restrooms that do not correspond to their original sex. It also prohibits inclusive toilets in schools, shops, public shelters, hospitals and prisons.

All this is added to a series of ultra-conservative measures that have been undertaken with the approval of the local executive. These include the censorship of books with themes considered controversial by some families or the categorical prohibition of masks during the coronavirus epidemic. The governor has also waged war against Disney, Florida’s largest employer, and one of the largest companies to speak out against the rule. don’t say gay.

The Clash Against Disney

The battle between DeSantis and Disney opened a new chapter when the governor, thanks to a legislative reform approved by the Republicans, was able to appoint five members to the body that oversees the entertainment giant’s governing body. It is the first time in 55 years that the company does not have full control of the Board of Supervisors.

The members appointed by DeSantis have complained this Friday about the little cooperation they have found upon arrival. “We wanted to work together with them, but Disney decided they didn’t want to work with us. It was his way of doing things or none at all”, Martin García, who occupies one of the seats appointed by the governor of Florida, assured this Wednesday.

The five members of the board fight to increase their influence in the decisions of the future of the company. Disney announced last year that it plans to donate 80 acres of the land it uses to an independent company to build affordable housing for its employees. DeSantis’s appointees have shown they have other things on their minds, including buying more land, which could then be sold to developers to pay off debt for the Central Florida Tourism District. The pulse between the parties promises to go further.

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