Florida Eyes 'Don't Say Gay' Law Expansion To All Grades: Reports

TALLAHASSEE, FL — Nearly a year after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a controversial prohibiting classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity, his administration is moving to expand the law — dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill by critics — to all grades, according to multiple reports.

The Parental Rights in Education bill, signed into law last March, currently prohibits classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade "in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students."

Now, DeSantis wants to expand the ban from grades 4 to 12 unless required by existing state standards or as part of reproductive health instruction that students can choose not to take, according to The Associated Press.

The proposal, which would not require legislative approval, is scheduled for a vote next month before the state Board of Education and has been put forward by the state Education Department, both of which are led by the governor's appointees.

Currently, the Parental Rights in Education law allows parents to sue Florida schools if these discussions take place, and it requires schools to alert parents if there's any change to a student's mental, emotional, or physical health.

The law does not ban the word "gay" in schools, but it does prevent teachers from using lesson plans about gender identity and sexual orientation.

DeSantis has leaned heavily into cultural divides on his path to an anticipated White House bid, with the Republican aggressively pursuing a conservative agenda that targets what he calls the insertion of inappropriate subjects in schools.

"We will make sure that parents can send their kids to school to get an education, not an indoctrination," DeSantis said at the news conference following the bill's signing.

White House officials slammed the proposed expansion at a news briefing Wednesday, according to a report by The Hill.

"It's wrong. It's completely, utterly wrong," press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

"Make no mistake, this is part of a disturbing and dangerous trend that we're seeing across the country of legislation that are anti-LGBTQI+, anti-trans in a way we have not seen in some time," Jean-Pierre continued, according to The Hill. "We're talking about students, we're talking about educators, we're talking about just individuals."

Brandon Wolf, press secretary for the LGBTQ rights organization Equality Florida, told Insider the expansion would further threaten Florida teachers' licenses.

"After a year's worth of gaslighting and assurances that the Don't Say LGBTQ law was narrowly focused, the DeSantis administration is saying the quiet part out loud: they believe that it is never appropriate to acknowledge the existence of LGBTQ people, or our contributions to society, in schools," Wolf said.

Meanwhile, DeSantis press secretary Bryan Griffin tweeted Wednesday in response to Jean-Pierre, signaling the governor's support.

"There is no reason for instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity to be part of K-12 public education. Full stop," he wrote.

The bill has come under fire the past year, sparking a feud between the state and Disney, one of the state's largest employers and political donors, after the entertainment giant publicly opposed the law and said it was pausing political donations in the state.

At the governor's request, the Republican-dominated Legislature voted to dissolve a self-governing district controlled by Walt Disney World over its properties in Florida and eventually gave DeSantis control of the board.

The move was widely seen as a punishment for the company opposing the law. The board oversaw municipal services in Disney's theme park properties and was instrumental in the company's decision to build near Orlando in the 1960s.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.