Florida Republicans advance bill banning discussion of LGBTQ people in school under guise of ‘parental rights’

Under the guise of “parental rights” and “student welfare” a Florida House committee has advanced legislation that would ban primary school discussion of LGBTQ people or topics, could require school officials to notify a parent if a student comes out as LGBTQ, bans schools from withholding that information from parents in many cases, and allows parents to sue if schools violate those policies.

Florida House Bill 1557, “Parental Rights in Education,” was advanced out of the Education and Employment Committee, The Tampa Bay Times reports. Its author, Rep. Joe Harding, the founder of a local lawn care company, was described by a local paper when he won his 2020 race as as “a supporter of anti-abortion legislation and the Second Amendment.”

The bill in part reads: “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.”

Jon Harris Maurer, Equality Florida’s Public Policy Director, spoke out against the legislation Thursday:

The bill must pass through one additional committee before being voted on by the full House.

U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL), who is running for governor, weighed in:

A call to Rep. Harding’s office was not returned.