“I want everyone in the LGBTQI+ community, especially the children who will be affected by this hateful bill, to know that you are loved and accepted, just the way you are. I stand behind you and my administration will continue to fight for the protection and security you deserve,” tweeted Joe Biden.
Sensitization is taking place in American public schools, and the Florida bill would stop it
The text of the legislation reads: . "
The statute also states that parents may “bring an action against the school district to establish that the school district's procedure or practice violates this paragraph and may bring an action to cease the violation. The court may award damages and may award the parent reasonable attorneys' and court costs' .
Florida's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, said, "I don't want schools to become a playground for some sort of ideological debate .
The Republican governor said he supports a bill that would ban the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in the state's elementary schools. At an event in Miami on Monday, when asked by journalists, he said it was "completely wrong" for teachers to talk about gender identity with students, and he also disapproved of, as he put it, "hiding the conversations that take place in the classrooms" from parents, NBC News reports portal .
"The task of schools is to teach children to read and write. They need to be taught science, history, civics and the U.S. Constitution so they understand what makes our country unique,” DeSantis emphasized.
GLSEN, a nonprofit group that advocates for the rights of LGBTQI+ students, laws similar to the Florida measure are in effect in four states: Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi. They add that three states, Arkansas, Tennessee and Montana, passed bills last year that would allow parents to opt students out of classes about sexual orientation or gender identity.
The curriculum should include sensitization
However, seven states—California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, and Oregon—have laws in place that require curriculum to include LGBTQ awareness, the non-profit organization said.
The White House strongly condemns Florida
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki strongly condemned the legislation. “Every parent hopes that our leaders will ensure the safety, security and freedom of their children. Today, Florida's conservative politicians have rejected these core values by introducing legislation that targets and attacks the very children who need support the most, LGBTQI+ students, who are at risk of bullying and violence because of their identity. "
Psaki argued that Republican lawmakers are trying to limit what students can read and learn in schools, and that the legislation is not an isolated case.
Last year, DeSantis passed legislation that says a transgender girl cannot compete in competitive sports without first presenting a birth certificate that proves she was born a girl.
Source: hirado.hu
Photo: MTI/EPA/DNCC
