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White House press secretary Jen Psaki sounded off about the Florida bill banning gender and sexual identity talk in kindergarten through 3rd grade classrooms, calling it ‘hateful,’ ‘misinformed’ and saying it puts LGTQ kids in a ‘heartbreaking position.’
‘We’ve made clear that as we look at this law what we think it’s a reflection of is politicians in Florida propagating misinformed, hateful policies that do absolutely nothing to address the real issues,’ Psaki said during a news briefing Monday.
She said the Department of Education was ‘well-positioned’ to figure out ‘what to do next,’ including looking into whether the Sunshine State’s ‘Don’t Say Gay bill, as it’s been dubbed by critics, violates federal civil rights law.
Asked by Fox News‘ Peter Doocy if the White House supports instruction on gender and sexual identity before kindergarten, Psaki shot back: ‘Do you have examples of schools in Florida that are teaching kindergarteners about sex education?’
‘This is a politically charged, harsh law that is putting parents and LGBTQ+ kids in a difficult, heartbreaking circumstance,’ she continued.
The Parental Rights in Education bill, which passed the Republican-controlled state legislature this month, was signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last week.
It will become law from July 1, and teachers who breach its regulations can be sued by parents.
DeSantis furiously hit out at what he said was liberal distortion of the bill’s contents, insisting that it did not ban the word ‘gay,’ or casual discussion of LGBT issues. He highlighted how it only forbade formal instruction on those topics, and only up until the end of third grade, when children are eight years-old.
He noted that teachers are free to provide sex education lessons, and discuss LGBT issues, in classrooms as children begin to hit puberty.
The bill also includes provisions requiring that school staff such as teachers, nurses or guidance counselors alert parents if there’s a ‘change’ in a student’s mental health or welfare.
Critics say it teaches young kids to believe they are wrong for being different somehow, and by forcing schools to report that students are receiving mental health services, it’s taking away a safe space for those students to be themselves when they can’t always do so at home.
‘We’ve made clear that as we look at this law what we think it’s a reflection of is politicians in Florida propagating misinformed, hateful policies that do absolutely nothing to address the real issues,’ Psaki said during a news briefing Monday
The proposal was sponsored by Rep. Joe Harding, in response to stories about children discussing a desire to transition while at school, and some teachers’ decision to keep that secret from their parents or care takers.
Harding had voiced concerns that coming out as gay was becoming ‘a trend’ for children. He also pushed for an amendment that would have essentially forced schools to out children to their parents, but moved to withdraw it last week.
He and other GOP lawmakers in Florida have argued that parents should be broaching these subjects with their children, rather than educators.
Florida’s GOP-dominated legislature passed the controversial ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill Tuesday, despite a swell of protests by students and LGBTQ activists rejecting the bill
Florida Gov Ron DeSantis (pictured last week) has indicated support for the bill. If signed into law, the Don’t Say Gay bill, which has been branded as ‘dangerous,’ ‘deeply bigoted’ and ‘hateful’ by President Biden, will go into effect July 1
The measure has sparked a swell of ‘Proud to Be Gay’ protests by students across Florida, who have showcased the transgender and LGBTQ flags at the state capitol in Tallahassee.
DeSantis has also signed similar controversial proposals such as the Fairness in Women’s Sport Act, which banned transgender female athletes from competing as part of women’s teams.
After mounting pressure to act, Disney — which accounts for the majority of Florida’s tourism industry — publicly condemned the legislation. In response, DeSantis said last week that he would be ‘receptive’ to revoking a more than 50-year-old law granting the entertainment giant power to self-govern its Disney World property.
Source: Daily Mail
