"Governor DeSantis' spokesperson said the quiet part out loud: that this bill is grounded in a belief that LGBTQ people, simply by existing, are a threat to children and must be erased," the group said in its statement.
"If you're against the Anti-Grooming bill, you are probably a groomer or at least you don't denounce the grooming of 4-8-year-old children."Īdvocacy group Equality Florida spoke out against Pushaw's tweets, branding them part of a "bigoted anti-LGBTQ rant."
"The bill that liberals inaccurately call 'Don't Say Gay' would be more accurately described as an Anti-Grooming Bill," Pushaw tweeted on Friday. This is perhaps about rerouting the responsibilities back to the parents."ĭeSantis' press secretary Christina Pushaw faced widespread condemnation after likening those who oppose the controversial legislation to pedophiles. If signed into law, the bill's terms would come into effect from July 1, with all of the Sunshine State's school districts plans required to be updated by June 2023.Īhead of Tuesday's vote, Senator Garcia said while discussing the bill: "Gay is not a permanent thing, LGBT is not a permanent thing. A court may award damages and shall award reasonable attorney fees and court costs to a parent who receives declaratory or injunctive relief." It is also stated that parents "may bring an action against a school district to obtain a declaratory judgment that a school district procedure or practice violates this paragraph and seek injunctive relief. The legislation states that "a school district may not 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." Noam Galai/Getty Images for Global Citizen
The TV personality has spoken out against Florida's controversial new Parental Rights in Education” bill, which prohibits schools from teaching students about sexual orientation and gender issues. I just wonder how many children and families need to suffer before our politicians figure that out."Īndy Cohen attends Global Citizen Live, New York on Septemin New York City. You can draft all the homophobic and transphobic bills you want, you're not going to erase us. It has people of all different gender identities. "Well, newsflash, the real world has gay people in it. Toward the end of the segment, a clip of which Cohen shared on his Instagram account, he added: "I thought the whole point of sending our kids to school was to educate them and prepare them for the real world. Sweetie, with all due it's permanent-trust me." "And then there's Senator Ileana Garcia, who said on the Florida Senate floor, being gay is not a permanent thing, LGBT is not a permanent thing. Education Secretary Slams Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Bill as 'Hateful'Ĭohen went to say that "supporters of this bill, including DeSantis' press secretary, have spread so much misinformation, like suggesting only 'groomers' would oppose it.Florida Legislature Passes 'Don't Say Gay' Bill, Now Goes to Ron DeSantis.Kal Penn Comes Out as Gay and Reveals Engagement-'No Timeline on This'.Boosie Badazz Slammed After Doubling Down on Homophobic Lil Nas X Comments."Like, if my son went to school and talked about his gay dad during class and the teacher engaged, under your vague, hateful law, that could be considered illegal?" Giving examples of potential flaws in the bill, he continued: "While the words 'don't say gay' don't explicitly appear in the bill, as a gay parent, I'm concerned that its deliberately vague language leaves room for it to be interpreted that way. You're scaring people into spewing hate and discrimination at the LGBTQ community." There is not a mass conspiracy of kindergarten teachers who are plotting to teach children to be gay. "First to Florida Republicans, you're pretending to solve a problem that doesn't exist. "I have a few things I want to say about this," Cohen told the audience. "Before we wrap up tonight, I want to address some personally disturbing news coming out of Florida," he said, before explaining the controversial bill, which Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to sign it into law. Read more Disney Gave at Least $250K to Senators That Voted for 'Don't Say Gay' Bill