"We're staring at a new reality where LGBTQ+ students may wonder if they're allowed to even acknowledge their own sexuality or gender identity a reality where young people with LGBTQ+ family members may be forced to remain silent while others can speak freely a reality where LGBTQ+ school staff may be forbidden from so much as mentioning their loved ones," interim President Joni Madison said in the statement. Human Rights Campaign said DeSantis "once again placed Florida squarely on the wrong side of history, and placed his own young constituents directly in harm's way - and he has done this for no other reason than to serve his own political ambitions," according to a statement released by the group.
The bill also gives parents the right to pursue legal action if they believe a school's procedures are infringing on their "fundamental right" to make decisions related to the "upbringing and control of their children."ĭeSantis, the bill's sponsors and other Republicans have claimed that the measure is necessary to give parents oversight over what students learn and discuss at school, calling it "inappropriate to be injecting those matters like transgenderism in a kindergarten classroom."īut opponents have argued that the Florida bill is vaguely worded and that it could give way to lawsuits from parents who believe any conversation about LGBTQ people or issues is inappropriate.
He said parents also "should be protected from schools using classroom instruction to sexualize their kids as young as 5-years-old," according to a statement released by his office. Its passage comes as a flurry of anti-LGBTQ bills advance in several states, leaving advocates fearful that already marginalized groups are at risk of harm.ĭeSantis said he backed the bill because parents' rights are "increasingly under assault around the nation, but in Florida we stand up for the rights of parents and the fundamental role they play in the education of their children." The Florida measure rocketed to the forefront of national politics in recent months, drawing sharp criticism from the LGBTQ community, Hollywood, Democrats and the White House. Sony Interactive Entertainment, Deutsche Bank USA, Hyatt Group Hotels & Resorts, Yahoo! and Shutterstock also added their names in recent weeks to the petition, which has more than 200 signatures. The newest signatories include retail companies Target, Mattel and Lululemon, according to the latest version of the petition published by advocacy groups Human Rights Campaign and Freedom for All Americans.