Florida State Board of Education is expected to pass a new regulation that would largely prohibit classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in grades four through twelve. The proposed rule is an expansion of a law signed by the Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, which already barred such lessons for elementary-age students. The regulation would only allow teachers to provide such lessons if it is required by state standards or if it is part of a health class that parents can opt their children out of. Violating the rule could lead to the suspension or revocation of an educator’s teaching license.
Critics, including LGBTQ advocates and President Joe Biden, have voiced their concerns over the proposed regulation, saying it would marginalize LGBTQ students. Last year, DeSantis supported a new law that prohibited instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation from kindergarten through third grade, arguing that parents, rather than teachers, should decide when to discuss those subjects with their children.
The push to prohibit teaching gender identity and sexual orientation in Florida schools is part of a broader rightward push on cultural issues that DeSantis has championed, which is widely expected to be a part of his 2024 presidential campaign. The Republican-majority legislature is also considering a bill that would expand the 2022 law through eighth grade.
This new regulation is just one of the latest attempts by the DeSantis administration to target the LGBTQ community in Florida. The governor has faced criticism from LGBTQ advocacy groups, such as Equality Florida, for using this issue to boost his national political ambitions. The regulation has also sparked controversy with Disney, after the entertainment company publicly opposed the “Don’t Say Gay” law. In response, the governor has taken steps to revoke Disney’s special authority over the land where Walt Disney World is located.
Despite these controversies, the Florida Commissioner of Education, Manny Diaz, has defended the regulation. In a tweet on March 22, Diaz argued that students should be spending their time in school learning core academic subjects, not being force-fed radical gender and sexual ideology. As the state board of education, whose members are appointed by the governor, prepares to vote on the proposal, the future of LGBTQ education in Florida schools remains uncertain.