Florida Governor DeSantis signs bills restricting LGBTQ+ rights ahead of 2024 presidential election campaign
LGBTQ+ rights protests (File image)
After announcing his candidacy for the 2024 US presidential elections on Wednesday, May 17, Florida Governor Ron Desantis signedfour bills thatbangender-affirming care for minors, restrictdrag shows and discussion of personal pronouns in schools and forcepeople to use certain bathrooms. DeSantis signed thebills on International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia.
The debate around LGBTQ+ legislationshas become one of the major agendas for DeSantis as he prepares for his run for the presidency.
The signing of the legislation
DeSantis signed thelegislation that bans gender-affirming care for minors at the Cambridge Christian School in Tampa in front of a large crowd and promised to make Florida a “citadel of normalcy”. The crowd present welcomed the bill.
He also signed a bill extending the state’s controversial “don’t say gay” law, which will now prohibit any classroom instruction regarding sexual orientation or gender identity through eighth grade.
In his statement, DeSantis pointed out that “It’s kind of sad that we even have some of these discussions, Let Kids Be Kids.” He further added that “We never did this through all of human history until like, what, two weeks ago? They’re having third-graders declare pronouns? We’re not doing the pronoun Olympics in Florida.”
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Democrats oppose the LGBTQ+ bill
While DeSantis claimsthat he is protecting parents’ rights, his opponents have a completely different take on the issue. Democrats believeDeSantis is denying the rights of parents with transgender kids.
WATCH |US | Kentucky anti-LGBTQ law: Legislature passes anti-Trans law
In a statement given to the AP, Democratic State Senator Shevrin Jones stated that “every other parent has the right to raise their child the way that they want to as long as your child is not gay, trans, bisexual. That’s freedom for some parents, but not for all parents.”
“God does not make mistakes with our children” - Republican Rep. Randy Fine
While faced with opposition from the Democratic Party, Republican Representative Randy Fine supported DeSantis’ move by saying that “God does not make mistakes with our children.”
So far, nearly three parents from Florida have asked a federal court to issue a temporary restraining order; blocking the new law’s enforcement. These families, who are represented by Southern Legal Counsel, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the Human Rights Campaign will be present in court on Friday, May 19 to argue that their children should be able to receive proper medical care while the case continues.
Also Read |Florida set to extend the ambit of 'Don't say gay' law to all school grades
As reported by AP, even though transgender medical treatment for children and teenagers is available in the US and is endorsed by major medical associations, lately it has been subject to restrictions or outright bans.
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