A settlement has been reached in the Florida Don’t Say Gay bill, and it’s a big fat fail. First, it’s not officially called the Don’t Say Gay Bill. The real name of the bill is The Parental Rights in Education Act. The left did a fantastic job rebranding it to the Don’t Say Gay Bill, didn’t they?

Two years ago, Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law that states sexual orientation and gender identity cannot be taught in schools. And Victory Girl Nina wrote about it back then.

The Parental Rights in Education Act – dubbed by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill – initially prohibited classroom discussion and instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation in kindergarten through third grade in state public schools.

That was later expanded to all grades through high school. – BBC

So, the people belonging to the LGBTQ+ community filed suit, of course. Because groomers want to groom.

More than a dozen plaintiffs – including civil rights organizations, parents, students and teachers – challenged the statute in a lawsuit filed just days after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the law in March 2022. They argued the legislation’s “vague” language would have a chilling effect on discussions of LGBTQ topics in schools as educators were left to grapple with confusion and fear over how – if at all – they were permitted to address such themes in their classrooms. – CNN

Chilling effects? They shouldn’t be discussing this type of crap in an elementary school anyway. Why am I the only person on earth who seems to feel this way? I don’t want some teacher trying to instruct a 7-year-old child on what THEY think a woman or man is or that it could be fluid, and it doesn’t necessarily mean you are a man if you have a penis.

1. that’s a lie
2. it’s inappropriate

Don’t say gay no longer means don’t say gay… this is a good step for educators and families https://t.co/SSVQFZYAxL

— Randi Weingarten ‍ (@rweingarten) March 12, 2024

Forget math, science, history, and reading. Let’s teach the kids to be little activists instead. Sexual orientation and gender identity need to be nowhere in schools.

And now we have a settlement reached that allows the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Florida education officials and a group of LGBTQ advocates and families reached a legal settlement Monday that clarifies the scope of a statute referred to by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, spelling out that students and teachers are allowed to discuss sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms, as long as it is not part of formal instruction.

[…]

The Monday settlement clarifies the law only applies to formal classroom instruction and does not restrict discussions of gender or sexuality that may arise during class participation or students’ schoolwork.

– CNN

Not only are the plaintiffs claiming victory, but so is the Florida Governor.

Ron Claims Victory

How can the Governor of Florida claim victory in this settlement? But he is. Maybe because the law is still intact, but now there is “clarification” as to what, when, or how the subjects can be discussed. What good is the law if we do not abide by it?

More on this news from The Hill:

The state of Florida settled a multi-year suit Monday against the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law, which limits how LGBTQ topics can be discussed and presented in schools.

The settlement agreement clarifies language of the 2022 Parental Rights in Education Act, keeping it in place but toning down what LGBTQ advocates in the state warned could illegally limit their rights.

So, while educators cannot “officially” teach these topics in their classrooms or include them in their curriculum, they can still discuss them openly and informally. This is not a victory, Ron.

Take a look at what the DeSantis administration was just FORCED to tell school districts is now Florida’s official education policy, in order to make the Don’t Say Gay lawsuit go away.

These are some of the critical protections we’d work to secure under a DEMOCRATIC governor. https://t.co/pJjVjH98zN pic.twitter.com/3MVpNHZaxH

— Carlos Guillermo Smith (@CarlosGSmith) March 12, 2024

The settlement seems to clarify that teachers cannot be punished for informal discussions of LGBTQ+ topics, such as students choosing to write about the subject, sharing information about their gay parents, or reading a gay book. It’s basically a loophole. Everyone can talk about it in an open classroom setting, just so long as it’s not in their written guidelines or curriculum.

This settlement gets a failing grade.

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