Florida bill aims to strengthen 'Don't Say Gay' law's restrictions on sexual topics in schools

Florida Republicans on Tuesday filed legislation to expand state restrictions on the discussion of sexual and gender-related topics in public schools.

The state's Parental Rights in Education law, which critics have labelled a "Don't Say Gay" measure, bars discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in public school classrooms from grades kindergarten through third.

Republican State Rep. Adam Anderson's measure would expand the restrictions through to the eighth grade, The Hill reported. The bill would absolve students, employees and contractors of any obligation to address individuals by their preferred pronouns should they misalign with one's biological sex.

More stringently, it would bar employees and contractors in those grades from using the chosen name and pronouns of a student should they not match those assigned to them at birth and prevents administrators from ordering staff to do so.

"It shall be the policy of every public K-12 educational institution that is provided or authorized by the Constitution and laws of Florida that a person's sex is an immutable biological trait and that it is false to ascribe to a person a pronoun that does not correspond to such person's sex," the bill reads, per the outlet.

Anderson's introduction of the further restrictions comes the same week that Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis curtailed the self-governing status of the Walt Disney Company in the state, a move largely motivated by the company's stance against the Parental Rights in Education law.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.