Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill just got another step closer to becoming law

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In a 12 to 8 vote, Florida’s extraordinarily controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill — which bans primary school teachers from discussing LGBTQ identities in the classroom — has passed its final Senate committee and will now move to the Senate floor for a full vote.

The bill already passed the Florida House last week. If the Republican-dominated Senate votes in its favor, the only step from there will be for Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to sign it.

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DeSantis has already expressed support for the bill, saying that he believes it is “entirely inappropriate” for teachers to talk to their students about gender identity and claimed that some students are being told, “Don’t worry, don’t pick your gender yet.” DeSantis has not said outright if he would sign the bill, though.

The bill is officially known as the Parental Rights in Education Bill and says teachers cannot “encourage classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.” It also says parents can sue their children’s schools for failing to adhere to these rules.

During Monday’s meeting of the Senate Appropriations Committee, state Sen. Dennis Baxley (R), who sponsors the Senate’s version of the bill, claimed…

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