The Florida Department of Education has approved extend to secondary education the controversy law known as “Don’t Say Gay” that prohibits teachers address gender identity and the sexual orientation.

This law, officially called “Rights of parents in education“, is already in effect between kindergarten and third grade and has now been expanded to all K-12, as the public education system up to secondary school is known.

The extension arose from a proposal by DeSantis, who with the help of the Republican majority in the Florida Congress is implementing a battery of ultraconservative laws in areas such as reproductive rights, immigration, and possession and ownership of weapons.

Under the law, signed by the Republican governor in March 2022, parents will have the ability to file lawsuits against the school district and receive damages if they violate this provision.

The DeSantis administration introduced the proposal a month ago as part of the conservative “aggressive agenda” before his planned candidacy for the 2024 elections to occupy the White House, according to local media reports.

The proposal will take effect after a procedural notice period that lasts about a month, as outlined by the Department of Education.

The Florida Campaign for Human Rights and Equality (Equality Florida) has reacted by warning that “this policy will intensify the government censorship that spans our state, exacerbate our exodus of educators, drive working families out of Florida, and stigmatize and isolate even plus a population of young people who need our support now more than ever.

Joe Biden and Disney, against the law

President, Joe Biden, He condemned this law in his day as hateful to the LGBTQ+ community. Likewise, Disney, which has its theme parks in Orlando and is one of the state’s largest employers and political donors, opposed the measure.

The entertainment giant publicly opposed the legislation last year, and as punishment, DeSantis has lobbied lawmakers to give him control of an autonomous district that Disney oversees on its theme park properties.