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As you\u2019ve probably heard by now, Ron DeSantis<\/strong> is currently on a quest to inflict his antigay<\/a>, antitrans<\/a>, antidrag<\/a>, antiabortion<\/a>, antidiversity<\/a>, antifacts<\/a>, anti-free-speech<\/a>, anti-anything-that-Ron-disagrees-with<\/a> agenda on the people of Florida, which he seemingly believes will win him the presidency. To that end, it apparently wasn\u2019t enough to sign the bigoted \u201cDon\u2019t Say Gay\u201d\u00a0bill into law last year, which banned classroom instruction in kindergarten through third grade. No, Ron had to do one worse.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, the Florida Board of Education expanded that ban through grade 12, at the request<\/a> of the Florida governor. According to The Washington Post,<\/em> the new rule states<\/a> that Florida teachers in grades four through 12 \u201cshall not intentionally provide classroom instruction\u2026on sexual orientation or gender identity\u201d unless the instruction is required by state standards\u2014which it\u2019s obviously not\u2014or \u201cpart of a reproductive health course\u201d that a student\u2019s parent can choose for them to opt out of. (No worry there, since Paul Burns,<\/strong> Florida\u2019s chancellor for K-12 public schools, said Wednesday that \u201cabstinence is the required expectation of what we teach in our schools\u201d in health classes.) The rule will go into effect approximately one month from now, a Florida Education Department spokeswoman\u00a0told the Post,<\/em> which noted that teachers who violate it could have their licenses suspended or revoked.<\/p>\n Florida education commissioner Manny Diaz Jr.<\/strong> claimed Wednesday that the move is simply about helping teachers better do their jobs\u2014a ridiculous bit of gaslighting that\u2019s hard to imagine Diaz actually believes\u2014i.e. totally not<\/em> about muzzling educators or pretending that LGBTQ+ people don\u2019t exist. \u201cWe\u2019re not removing anything here,\u201d Diaz said<\/a>, per the Associated Press. \u201cAll we are doing is we are setting the expectations so our teachers are clear: that they are to teach to the standards.\u201d In a statement<\/a>, Education Department spokesman Alex Lanfranconi<\/strong> was more blunt about the (bigoted) reasoning behind the ban, saying, \u201cthe topics of gender identity and sexual orientation have no place in the classroom\u201d and that \u201ctoday\u2019s state board action reaffirms Florida\u2019s commitment to uphold parental rights and keep indoctrination out of our schools.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, as reasonable people know, merely teaching about people who are not straight or don\u2019t identify with their sex at birth is not \u201cindoctrination\u201d or part of the alleged woke agenda<\/a> that DeSantis insists children must be protected from. \u201cLet\u2019s put it plainly: This is part of the governor\u2019s assault on freedom,\u201d Joe Saunders,<\/strong> senior political director of Equality Florida, said in a statement. The new rule, he added, will \u201cfurther stigmatize and isolate a population of young people who need our support now more than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the Post,<\/em> prior to the board vote, Saunders had asked members if the new rule would prohibit teaching an 11th-grade course about Obergefell v. Hodges,<\/em> the landmark Supreme Court case that gave same-sex couples the right to marry. \u201cUnder the vague new rules, a teacher who taught this would be fired and their career would end,\u201d Saunders said. \u201cThis rule is by design a tool for curating fear, anxiety, and the erasure of our LGBTQ community.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth remembering that DeSantis is also currently in a feud with Disney, one of Florida\u2019s largest employers, for having the audacity to criticize \u201cDon\u2019t Say Gay\u201d last year. On Monday, he suggested<\/a> that the state might build a prison complex next to the theme park as part of his campaign of retribution.<\/p>\n TFW when your decision to just make sh-t up doesn\u2019t go as well as you\u2019d hoped<\/strong><\/p>\n This content can also be viewed on the site it originates<\/a> from.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nTwitter content<\/h4>\n