Florida House passes ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that would not allow sexual orientation and gender identity to be discussed in primary school classrooms.

The bill has been dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by advocates who say it will hurt people in the LGBTQ community.

The Republican who introduced the bill, Rep. Joe Harding, claims the bill is meant to set boundaries about what is appropriate for students to be taught in public schools.

“Creating boundaries at an early age of what is appropriate in our schools, when we are funding our schools, is not hate,” Harding said, according to NBC News. “It’s actually providing boundaries, and it’s fair to our teachers and our school districts to know what we expect.”

The bill will now go to the Republican-led Senate, where it’s expected to pass. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has also expressed support for the bill.

Earlier this week, an amendment to the bill that could have forcibly outed LGBTQ students was withdrawn.

That amendment would have required teachers or the principal to disclose to parents within a 6-week span of time if their child said anything about identifying as LGBTQ.

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