DeSantis, who spoke at a Jacksonville press conference on Friday, said that the bill was about "no sexual instruction" for young students. CBS Miami reports.
"If you look at the bill, it states 'no sexual instruction for children pre-K through 3,' how many parents would want their children to be exposed to transgenderism? DeSantis said. It's basically asking our younger students: Do you really want them to learn about sex? This includes all sexual matters. However, I believe that there is a strong focus on transgenderism. This means that children may be able choose genders.
This bill is intended to restrict how LGBTQ people are discussed in public schools classrooms. It also prohibits conversations that are considered "instructional," especially for children in the youngest grades. These limitations may be felt in the higher grades.
Parents can sue school districts for not being notified of situations involving their children, or if students are encouraged to discuss sexual orientation and gender identity.
The bill has been approved by the Florida House and will be put to a vote by the Senate on Monday.
There are currently nine similar bills in nine states. The Trevor Project, an advocacy group, denounced them. It said that its research showed that LGBTQ students who were educated about LGBTQ issues and people at school had 23% less chances of reporting a suicide attempt within the last year.
