Fla. school district bars preferred pronouns for students, staff
- Governor has made battle with LGBTQ central to campaign
- The ban is in accordance with Florida's new state legislation
- Gov. Ron DeSantis supported the bills referred to in the district's memo
FILE – Florida House Representative Michele Rayner, left, hugs her spouse, Bianca Goolsby, during a march at City Hall in St. Petersburg, Fla., Saturday, March 12, 2022, to protest the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Florida’s move to expand its prohibition on teaching sexual orientation or gender identity in the classroom comes as Republican lawmakers […]
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(NewsNation) — Orange County Public Schools announced its transgender employees and contractors can’t use the pronouns or bathrooms that match their declared gender identity in accordance with controversial state laws.
The fourth largest school district in Florida made the announcement Monday, just days before the start of the school year.
In the memo, the district discussed two pieces of legislation. House Bill 1069 deals with sex defined as an “immutable biological trait” based on genitalia, and prevents students from using preferred pronouns or titles.
The second law mentioned is Florida’s House Bill 1521, which has to do with what bathroom an individual can use.
Both transgender students and employees will face disciplinary action if they use a bathroom that does not correspond with their birth gender, according to the district’s memo.
The two bills were signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has made his fight against LGBTQ+ issues one of his primary focuses during his time as governor, and a major part of his presidential campaign.