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With so much on his plate, mired in one crisis after another, from inflation to Ukraine, President Joe Biden seems to have a strange interest in the goings on in Florida.
Biden — or whoever manages his Twitter account — saw fit to pander to the “LGBTQI+ community” by tweeting his opposition to a bill under consideration in the Florida legislature that would prohibit a school district “from encouraging classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels.”
The left have dishonestly dubbed the legislation the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, fighting for the ability to introduce young children to alternative sexual orientations and gender dysphoria. The media has eagerly adopted the misleading title.
“I want every member of the LGBTQI+ community — especially the kids who will be impacted by this hateful bill — to know that you are loved and accepted just as you are,” read a tweet posted on Biden’s Twitter account. “I have your back, and my Administration will continue to fight for the protections and safety you deserve.”
I want every member of the LGBTQI+ community — especially the kids who will be impacted by this hateful bill — to know that you are loved and accepted just as you are. I have your back, and my Administration will continue to fight for the protections and safety you deserve. https://t.co/OcAIMeVpHL
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 8, 2022
Talk about misinformation, the tweet was a reply to a White House tweet on the matter, which claimed the bill was “designed to attack LGBTQI+ kids.” Somewhat comically, the White House tweet said Biden “is focused on keeping schools open and supporting students’ mental health.”
(As the nation inches closer to the midterms, Democrats are suddenly pivoting in issues like school closures and mask mandates — a likely response to internal polling.)
The Florida state Senate Education Committee approved SB 1834, titled Parental Rights in Education, with the legislation being designed to “reinforce the fundamental right of parents to make decisions regarding the upbringing and control of their children.” The measure would also allow parents to sue if schools violate the law.
“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,” the bill reads.
John Harris Maurer, public policy director for LGBTQ-advocacy group Equality Florida, interpreted that limitation as “offensive.”
“It is patently offensive to say that school discussions, even with young children, referring to two moms or two dads, parents like those that are sitting in this room that are your constituents … is somehow dangerous or inappropriate,” Maurer told local the local Fox affiliate WTVT.
Republican state Sen. Dennis Baxley, the bill’s sponsor, said it clarifies the role of teachers in the classroom. He also stressed that the bill relates to “procedures” and “curriculum,” and does not prevent private conversations with teachers and students, according to Fox News.
“Some discussions are for (having) with your parents,” Baxley said. “And I think when you start having sexual-type discussions with children, you’re entering a very dangerous zone. Your awareness should pop up right away, this isn’t teaching.”
In effect, the measure is about giving parents of young children at the primary grade level the right to not have their children introduced to conversations about who people choose to have sex with, or to the proposition that gender is a social construct and there are more than two genders to “choose” from — biology be damned.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, a big proponent of parental rights, said at a press conference Tuesday that he has not yet seen the bill but that he supports the rights of parents to be involved in what their children are being taught in schools, Fox News reported.
“I think that what you’ve seen in Florida, parts of the country, is schools keeping parents out of these decisions,” DeSantis said. “And I don’t see how you can do that.”
The Republican governor added, “I also think one of the things that I think the legislature is getting at is everything should be age-appropriate.”
DeSantis press secretary Christina Pushaw addressed the media reaction to the bill, telling Fox News that the press has adopted an “entirely false” narrative about the proposal.
“There is nothing in this bill preventing anyone from ‘saying gay’,” Pushaw said. “It’s about age-appropriate education on gender and sexual orientation.”
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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