Florida Republicans on Wednesday approved bills to ban diversity programs at universities and prevent students and teachers from having to use pronouns that do not correspond to someone’s biological sex, based on the top priorities of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The two proposals received the final approval of the Republican majorities in the House and the Senate. DeSantis is expected to sign the bills.
DeSantis, who is expected to announce a presidential campaign in the coming weeks, has pushed a hard line. conservative agenda as he seeks to bolster the support of Republican primary voters ahead of his run for the White House.
The state legislative session, scheduled to end this week, has been dominated by divisive cultural issues, with DeSantis’s Republican allies passing his priority bills on sexual orientation, gender identity, race and education that are expected to help the governor in his presidential candidacy.
The Senate voted Wednesday to expand the law that critics call » don’t say gay”, a major cover letter from DeSantis, with a sweeping bill that prevents school staff or students from being required to refer to people with pronouns that do not correspond to the person’s biological sex.
It also prohibits classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation until the eighth grade, legally reinforcing a DeSantis administration to prohibit such lessons in all grades. In addition, the bill strengthens the system in which people can file challenges against school books, another initiative by DeSantis that has led to the removal of material that he and his supporters argue are inappropriate for children.
“Think about what we’re doing, honestly. Think about how this will affect families that are not like yours,” said Democratic Senator Tracie Davis. “They are still families. They are families from Florida. But we treat them like strangers and tell them we don’t want them here.»
Republicans said the bill is intended to protect children from sexualized content and reinforce that teachers must adhere to existing state curricula.
«You see society closing in on our children in a culture war that has an agenda to confuse them,» said Republican Sen. Erin Grall. “We are depriving children of the ability to discover who they are when we impose an agenda, a sexualized agenda, on children.”
Separately, House Republicans gave final approval to a priority DeSantis bill that prohibits universities from using state or federal funds for diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Such initiatives, sometimes referred to as DEIs, have come under increasing criticism from Republicans who argue that the programs are racially divisive.
Republican lawmakers in at least a dozen states have proposed more than 30 bills this year that target diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in higher education, a Associated Press Analysis found using Plural invoice tracking software.
“They want to believe by heart in the same thing. They say they want inclusion, but they won’t do it unless you believe what they believe,” said Republican Rep. Randy Fine. “These programs are being used all over the country. Imagine how great our universities will be when we are the only ones that aren’t.»
The House also approved a proposal to ban people from bathrooms that do not correspond to their biological sex, a bill aimed at transgender bathroom use.
DeSantis is expected to formally announce his presidential candidacy after the end of the legislative session. In recent months, he has spent much time traveling to battleground states and elsewhere to promote his conservative agenda and proclaim his policies on race, gender and education.
In the state house, Democrats, who have no power to stop Republican legislation, have begun to vent more and more about the rightward shift in politics emanating from the GOP.
“The message that has resonated from this chamber in recent years is one of hate, exclusion and punishment,” said Democratic Senator Jason Pizzo. «There is very little grace and very little compassion.»