Florida seems to be something of a trailblazer in terms of inspiring other states to consider legislation limiting conversations in classrooms about sexual orientation and gender identity.
Last month, Florida Gov. Ron Desantis signed the âParental Rights in Educationâ bill that bans instruction or classroom discussion about sexual issues for public school students in kindergarten through third grade.
âClassroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade three or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards,â the law states.
Critics have inaccurately dubbed it the âDonât Say Gayâ law, even though the seven-page law does not contain the word âgayâ anywhere in its text.
The law, however, does contain the terms âsexual orientationâ and âgender identity.â
Back in February, the then-bill prompted President Joe Biden to go on social media to rebuke the Florida measure and its sponsors.
Supporters of the law say it prevent âgroomingâ of children to be open to sexual ideas long before theyâre mature enough to consider them â and making them more vulnerable to sexual exploitation.
The national controversy over the law is not stopping other states from considering legislation containing provisions that mirror the Florida law.
A dozen states have proposed their own bills: Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, South Carolina, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Ohio.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he will make legislation similar to Floridaâs law a top priority during the stateâs next legislative session.
Proponents of this type of legislation argue itâs necessary to protect young children from being exposed to such grown-up ideas, while still allowing classroom instruction on sexuality and gender identity in higher grades â that is, at an age-appropriate level.
âWe will make sure that parents can send their kids to school to get an Education, not an indoctrination,â DeSantis said at the March 28 bill signing, according to ABC News.
DeSantisâ language was similar to that used by Louisiana state Rep. Dodie Horton, R-Haughton, prime sponsor of her stateâs House Bill 837, which would ban classroom discussions on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through eighth grade.
âThereâs no need for any child to ever know the private life of their educator,â Horton told KSLA-TV. âItâs not prejudice to one group or another. It just doesnât discuss it at all.â
Critics of Floridaâs law â and other proposed laws like it â disagree.
âThe institutionalization of these bills is an overt form of structural transphobia and homophobia, and it goes against all public health evidence in creating a safe and supportive environment for transgender, nonbinary, queer, gay and lesbian youths and teachers to thrive,â said Arjee Restar, assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington, according to NPR.
She went on to describe these bills as detrimental to the lives of young people, noting âthere should be no room for transphobia and homophobia â especially in the classroom.â
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.