Florida Republicans have introduced three separate expansion bills that would build on the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, which was enacted nearly a year ago by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The current law prohibits public school teachers and districts from discussing gender identity and sexuality in kindergarten through third-grade classrooms, citing the “fundamental right of parents to make decisions regarding their children’s upbringing and control.” It was met with strong opposition from both parents and LGBTQ+ advocates.
H.B. 1223, H.B. 1069, and H.B. 1320 are three Florida house bills that address various aspects of gender and sexuality education in the state.
H.B. 1123 would extend the law to charter schools and extend the restrictions to pre-kindergarten and beyond third grade, prohibiting gender and sexuality discussions until eighth grade. The bill states that conversations about such topics “must be age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards” for students in grades nine through twelve.
In addition, the bill would define “sex” as “an immutable biological trait,” rather than allowing for individual self-identification. Educators, other school employees, and students would not be required to use a student’s pronouns if they differed from the student’s assigned sex at birth in all public K-12 schools. It would also be illegal for school employees and educators to tell students their own titles and pronouns if they differed from the sex assigned to them at birth. Furthermore, school employees and contractors would be prohibited from inquiring about students’ preferred titles and pronouns.
Similarly, H.B. 1069 proposes to define “sex” as “determined by biology and reproductive function at birth,” adding that “reproductive roles are binary, stable, and unchangeable.” The bill would also restrict teaching about “acquired immune deficiency syndrome, sexually transmitted diseases, or health education when such instruction and course material contains instruction in human sexuality” to students in grades six through twelve.
S.B. 1320, the third bill, contains provisions similar to the previous two bills, such as prohibiting school employees from sharing their pronouns and asking students about theirs. It would also prohibit the teaching of sexuality or gender identity from pre-kindergarten to grade 8.
According to the ACLU, Florida lawmakers have filed at least 11 bills specifically targeting LGBTQ+ people during the current legislative session.
Last year, the state came under fire for prohibiting gender-affirming care for trans youth, and in 2021, it enacted legislation prohibiting trans youth from competing on sports teams concurrent with their gender identities. In January, a judge reopened a lawsuit challenging the law, reigniting the legal battle in the state for transgender athletes in sports.
