DeSantis spokeswoman calls “Don’t Say Gay” bill opponents “groomers”

metroweekly.com:

now heads to DeSantis’ desk for his signature into law.Proponents of the bill say the measure — which prohibits classroom discussions or curriculum content related to sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity through third grade — is needed to protect students from learning about complicated and controversial issues before they’re old enough to understand such concepts.

The measure allows parents to sue school systems if they are not kept informed of changes affecting their children’s wellbeing or the support services, including counseling, that they receive.But opponents say that the bill’s overly broad reach will punish teachers if LGBTQ-related content is broached in class, even if such issues are raised by students — regardless of the insistence of the bill’s House and Senate sponsors, Rep.

Joe Harding (R-Williston) and Sen. Dennis Baxley (R-Belleview) that it would not.Further, critics argue, the bill will, in practice, intimidate teachers, even those teaching relevant classes like history, biology, or sex education at the secondary and high school levels — where instruction on LGBTQ topics must be “age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate” — into preemptively banning any mention of LGBTQ content in classroom discussions, thereby censoring the free speech of students who are LGBTQ, have LGBTQ parents, or are allies to the LGBTQ community.Over the weekend, Pushaw tweeted accusations that those opposed to the bill are either “groomers” or unwilling to denounce child grooming.“The bill that liberals inaccurately call ‘Don’t Say Gay’ would more accurately be described as an Anti-Grooming bill,” she tweeted.