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Florida education officials cannot ban teachers in public schools from talking about about sexual orientation and gender identity in their classrooms, after a settlement in a lawsuit against Florida’s so-called Don’t Say Gay law, which LGBTQ advocates have criticized as dangerous and homophobic.
The settlement, reached Monday, clarifies that teachers can discuss LGBTQ issues outside of formal instruction and that the law, officially known as the Parental Rights in Education Act, does not apply to library books as long as they are not part of instruction.
Signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022, the law was central to the construction of his image as a warrior against “wokeness.”
Signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022, the law was central to the construction of his image as a warrior against “wokeness.” The legislation — and the vagueness of its language — sparked confusion across the state as teachers scrambled to decipher what exactly they couldn’t say in class. Although Florida leaders claimed that the administration was protecting students from “radical gender and sexual ideology,” LGBTQ rights groups warned that the law would lead to further discrimination against gay and trans students already at higher risk of bullying, and also make teachers’ jobs more difficult and dangerous.
Separate legislation that expanded the law to apply to students through 12th grade was signed last year, alongside a slew of anti-LGBTQ legislation.
Conservatives and LGBTQ rights advocates alike are framing the settlement as a victory. DeSantis’ office said it was a “major win” that the law still remained on the books, but LGBTQ groups said that the settlement essentially voids the law’s most harmful parts.
“The agreement effectively nullifies the most dangerous and discriminatory impacts of Florida’s controversial ‘Don’t Say Gay Law,’ and makes clear that the law must be applied neutrally and is no license to discriminate against or erase LGBTQ+ families,” the National Center for Lesbian Rights said in a statement.
Under DeSantis’ governorship, conservatives in Florida have created an increasingly hostile environment for LGBTQ people, and trans individuals in particular.