Florida Rep. Adam Anderson, a Republican elected in 2022, filed a bill that purportedly sets policy relating to a person’s sex while at public K-12 education institutions. The bill defines sex as binary and says it must be treated by the state as an immutable biological trait. The legislation, House Bill 1223 says it prohibits specified actions relating to the use of certain titles and pronouns; and revises requirements for instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools.” And while supporters of last year’s “don’t say gay” law frequently stressed an outright prohibition on discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation only applied to classroom instruction in kindergarten through third grade, the new bill would expand that through grade 8, the end of middle school in most Florida district. It also extends the requirement back to pre-kindergarten.
As per the new bill, the Employees, contractors, or students of a Florida public K-12 school will not be required to refer to others using a preferred personal title or pronoun if it does not match their sex, according to the proposed bill.
Additionally, doing so cannot be required as a condition of employment, enrollment, or participation in any programs for public K-12 educational institutions.
Should Anderson’s bill pass, it would take effect on July 1.
It seems, the “don’t say gay” law has taken a worse turn in just one year of its passing.
