A settlement reached Monday permits Floridian students and teachers to freely discuss sexual orientation and gender identity outside of instructional content. This comes two years after Florida passed a law criticized as the “Don’t Say Gay” Act, barring such discussions within classroom instruction in the early grade levels.
While the settlement allows the letter of the law to stand — a fact the office of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis hailed as a “major win” — the discussion of LGBTQ+ issues can now occur outside classroom instruction. The Florida Board of Education will communicate to all school districts in the state confirming that discussions of LGBTQ+ people are allowed, as are anti-bullying rules and Gay-Straight Alliance groups according to the agreement.
The law, also known as the Parental Rights in Education Act, has been a cornerstone of Governor DeSantis’s administration since its inception and further expansion in 2022. This model of regulation on classroom conversations about sexual orientation and gender identity has been replicated in other states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, and North Carolina.
“The last thing we wanted for the kids in Florida was more delay,” said Roberta Kaplan, lead attorney for the plaintiffs, who also happens to be E Jean Carroll’s lawyer. She claimed the settlement essentially defends the right of every child to receive an ‘education’ where they feel safe and respected. She also declared victory.
