Florida: Where freedom goes to die

The Florida Board of Education voted Wednesday to extend a ban on classroom teachings about sexual orientation and gender identity all the way through 12th grade, an action requested by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The rule expanded on the governor's infamous "Don't Say Gay" law enacted last year expressly prohibiting instruction on the topics for students in kindergarten through third grade.

The new amendment adopted by the state board bans any classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in pre-kindergarten through third grade. For fourth through 12th grades, instruction on the topics is prohibited unless the lessons are either "expressly required by state academic standards ... or is part of a reproductive health course or health lesson for which a student’s parent has the option to have his or her student not attend," according to the amendment.

A spokesperson for the pro-LGBTQ+ group PFLAG said the ban was so broadly worded that it would prohibit nearly all teachings related to sex and gender—something DeSantis and Republican lawmakers surely hadn't considered.

"Everyone has a sexual orientation and a gender identity," Laura McGinnis noted. "It looks like this rule would make it impossible to do much instruction at all."