Florida Senate oks expansion of parental rights measure, sending bill to DeSantis' desk

The Florida Senate on Wednesday approved an expansion of the state's Parental Rights in Education law, barring classroom instruction on gender identity or sexual orientation through the eighth grade.

The state's upper chamber approved the plan in a 27-12 vote. The state House previously approved the plan in a late March, 77-35 vote and it now heads to Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis's desk for signature.

At present, the law bars discussion of gender identity or sexual orientation through the third grade. The new measure would expand that restriction through the eighth grade, while also imposing limitations on the use of preferred pronouns should they not correspond with one's biological sex.

"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.

"An employee, contractor, or student of a public K-12 educational institution may not be required, as a condition of employment or enrollment or participation in any program, to refer to another person using that person's preferred personal title or pronouns if such personal title or pronouns do not correspond to that person's sex."

The original Parental Rights in Education law drew criticism from LGBT advocates and major corporations within the state, such as Disney, who maligned it as a "Don't Say Gay" bill.

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