Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed four bills into law Wednesday restricting LGBTQ rights, including a measure expanding what critics have called the state’s «Don’t Say Gay» law and another that will ban transition-related care. for minors
also signed an invoice that will prohibit trans people from using public facilities that align with their gender identities and other that will restrict the actions of «adults» against minors. He said the latest move was intended to limit drag performances.
Last March, DeSantis signed the Parental Rights in Education Bill, which prohibits «classroom instruction by school personnel or others regarding sexual orientation or gender identity» from kindergarten through third grade “or in a manner that is not age or developmentally appropriate to students according to state standards.”
He new measure prohibits sexual orientation or gender identity instruction from kindergarten through eighth grade, restricts reproductive health education from sixth through 12th grade, and requires that reproductive health instruction “be age appropriate or student development in accordance with state standards.” The bill applies to both public and charter schools.
Among its provisions, the bill requires schools to teach “that sex is determined by biology and reproductive function at birth; that biological males impregnate biological females by fertilizing the female egg with male sperm; that the female then gestates the offspring; and that these reproductive roles are binary, stable and immutable”.
The bill prohibits schools from requiring students or employees to refer to each other with pronouns that do not align with the sex assigned at birth. It will also ban trans school employees from sharing their pronouns with students.
During a news conference Wednesday, DeSantis said the bill «ensures that Florida students and teachers are never forced to declare pronouns in school or use pronouns not based on biological sex.»
«We never did this in all of human history until like, what, two weeks ago?» DeSantis said of people using pronouns that are different from those associated with their assigned sex. “Now this is something, they are having third graders declare pronouns. We’re not doing the pronoun Olympics in Florida. It’s not happening here.»
DeSantis also signed a bill banning transition-related care for minors in the state, joining 18 other states where governors have signed similar laws. The measure codifies the restrictions on care in the state, which were initially approved by the Board of Medicine and the Board of Osteopathic Medicine in March.
The bill signed by DeSantis, effective immediately, will grant Florida temporary custody of children whose parents provide them with gender-affirming care. The measure would also prohibit the use of public funds to cover such care for anyone, including adults. Health care providers who violate the measure could face a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
DeSantis said the law «will prohibit the mutilation of minors,» even though most major medical associations in the US, including the American Medical Associationhe American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association — oppose such restrictions.
“In fact, there are some states in this country that want to be a haven for these types of proceedings and even welcome minors without parental consent and in part of their jurisdiction,” DeSantis said of the 10 states that have passed trans health protection measures. «Obviously we’re doing the opposite here.»
DeSantis also signed a measure that prohibits establishments from having children in a «live performance for adults.» Although the bill does not specifically mention drag performances, DeSantis said Wednesday that the law is intended to restrict them.
“There are these adult performances, these sexually explicit drag shows,” he said. “What they are doing is adult entertainment. People can do what they want with some of it, but to have minors in there, I mean, you’ll have situations where you’ll have an 8-year-old girl in there, where you’ve got these really explicit shows, and that’s just inappropriate.»
DeSantis noted that Florida’s has taken administrative action against multiple venues and restaurants that have put on drag performances with minors in attendance, “but the reality is we needed the legislature to come in and really clarify that if you are an establishment that has performances for adults You have an obligation to make sure these young children are not allowed on the premises, and we will hold you accountable.»
Melanie Willingham-Jaggers, executive director of GLSEN, which advocates for LGBTQ students, said in a statement that DeSantis «is trying to turn back the clock on progress and erase LGBTQ+ people from existence.»
“He is using vulnerable communities as political pawns in an attempt to gain power and advance his own career,” Willingham-Jaggers said. “We know that inclusive curriculum and LGBTQ+ representation benefit all students, and all of the major medical associations in the US support gender-affirming care for youth. As Floridians continue to face attacks on their education, healthcare, and bodily autonomy, we call on lawmakers, advocates, and allies to join us in supporting LGBTQ+ youth.»
Florida teachers have said they removed books from their classrooms and decided not to form LGBTQ clubs as a result of the first iteration of the so-called «Don’t Say Gay» law. A teacher, Jenna Barbee, said on social media Saturday that her school and the state Department of Education are investigating her after she showed her fifth graders «Strange World,» an animated Disney movie featuring a character openly gay.