On March 31, organizations filed a lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law that forbids classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, per ABC News.
Critics say the true intent of the statute is to marginalize LGBTQ people and their families.
The challenge filed in federal court in Tallahassee on behalf of Equality Florida and Family Equality alleges that the law violates the constitutionally protected rights of free speech, equal protection and due process of students and families.
“This effort to control young minds through state censorship—and to demean LGBTQ lives by denying their reality—is a grave abuse of power,” the lawsuit stated.
In a statement Windy City Times received, Family Equality CEO Stacey Stevenson said, “The law, which would ban any mention of LGBTQ+ issues—including discussions about our families and histories—in the classroom is a marked attempt to shame and shun LGBTQ+ youth and families, many of whom are already vulnerable to bullying and harassment in schools. … That is why today, Family Equality joined Equality Florida, LGBTQ+ youth and families in the state, lawyers from Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) to file a federal complaint challenging this unconscionable law.”