In 2022, the State of Florida passed good legislation (Parental Rights in Education Act), which prevented teachers from indoctrinating students with pro-homosexual material, forbidding instruction on such topics. However, the State reached an agreement with plaintiffs who sued Florida over the law. While the State of Florida has claimed victory, nevertheless, the settlement spelled out very clearly and explicitly how pro-homosexual activists can push their agenda on children so long as it is not official “instruction.”
According to the settlement, this means that there can be discussions of homosexual and “transgender” sin, teachers can display pro-homosexual messages in schools, and activities promoting LGBT themes. According to Christian Family Coalition (CFC) of Florida on its Facebook page:
“The settlement, which was agreed to by the DeSantis administration, leaves the statute [i.e. Parental Rights in Education Act] in place but contains very concerning language that Christian Family Coalition (CFC) Florida believes activist teachers and administrators will use to violate the original intent and spirit of the law which came about in response to growing parental outrage over rampant LGBTQ indoctrination in classrooms across Florida.
“Among other provisions, the settlement allows LGBTQ-promoting ‘safe space’ stickers and even discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom, as long as they are not part of formal ‘instruction.’ It also explicitly permits student cross-dressing, same-sex school dances, reading assignments and school plays with LGBTQ themes, LGBTQ ‘anti-bullying’ instructions (which is often code for LGBTQ indoctrination), and on-campus ‘ extracurricular activities‘ such as Gay-Straight Alliances, which are notorious for indoctrinating and sexualizing schoolchildren.”
(Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=827401289431692; emphasis added)
The statements about the settlement from the State of Florida are very distressing. The settlement claimed that those suing the anti-indoctrination statute merely “sought to engage in [what] was not covered by the Statute’s restriction of ‘classroom instruction’ ‘on sexual orientation or gender identity.’ Further explaining the “scope and meaning” of the Statute, the State of Florida affirmed:
- “The Statute ‘thus restricts instruction on particular subjects (sexual orientation and gender identity), not mere discussion of them.”
- “[T]ypical class participation and schoolwork are not ‘instruction,’ even if a student chooses to address sexual orientation or gender identity [i.e., homosexual sin and ‘transgenderism’.]”
- Literary references to homosexual sin and ‘transgenderism’ ” do not violate that [S]tatute, as they are not ‘instruction on’ sexual orientation or gender identity ….”
- “The Statute ‘does not prohibit… mere classroom references to a person’s family – whether gay straight, transgender or cisgender .’ “
- “The statute does not ‘prohibit participation in extracurricular activities ( such as ‘Gay-Straight Alliances ‘ [sic] or book fairs’…”
- “Likewise, the Statute does not restrict ‘lines referring to LGBTQ issues ‘ in ‘musicals,’ ‘ dancing between persons of the same gender ‘ at a school dance, or ‘ wearing clothing inconsistent with student’s gender assigned at birth .’… ‘None of that is ‘classroom instructions.’ ‘ “
(Source: KaplanHecker.com; underline is our emphasis)
CFC’s summary of the issue put it best when it said:
“Just as troubling, the settlement draws a false equivalency between destructive LGBTQ lifestyle choices and traditional heterosexual families , between transgenderism and a biologically-based understanding of sex. Under the guise of ‘non-discrimination’ and ‘equal application’ of the prohibition on sexual orientation and gender identity instruction, the settlement forbids ‘instruction on the normalcy of opposite-sex attraction ‘ and states ‘it would violate the statute to instruct students that heterosexuality is superior or that gender identity is immutable based on biological traits.’ “
(Source: CFC Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=827401289431692; emphasis added)
What this means is that the State of Florida is allowing the weakest possible application of the law. It even appears to go out of its way to tell the pro-homosexual side what it can get away with. In the face of all of this, an official statement from the DeSantis administration claimed the settlement as a victory!
We cannot allow ourselves to be blinded by a mere appearance of victory. The law might remain nominally in place, but the promises it once offered of protection for schoolchildren is proving to be little more than a legal shenanigan.
Please sign our petition, demanding that the State of Florida not back down, and that it fight to keep harmful, pro-homosexual material away from children.