Florida Senate stalls on "Don't Say Gay" bill

The Florida Senate delayed a vote yesterday on The Parental Rights in Education Act, dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill by critics.

Driving the news: Students and faith leaders with Gen-Z for Change held a "Proud to Say Gay" rally at the state Capitol in protest of the bill, which was supposed to be voted on.

• But the session ended after lawmakers voted on amendments to the bill. A final vote is now delayed until later this week.

Catch up quick: HB 1557 would ban classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through 3rd grade. For higher grade levels, the bill says instruction should be "age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate" by state academic standards.What's next: Gov. Ron DeSantis's office has said he hasn't decided whether he would sign the bill or not, but he defended the bill while speaking to reporters last week.

• "How many parents want their kids to have transgenderism or something injected into classroom instruction?" DeSantis said.
• "It's basically saying for our younger students, do you really want them being taught about sex? And this is any sexual stuff," DeSantis added.

Selene's thought bubble: There was a lot of talk by lawmakers on the floor today about "kids with two moms or two dads" and being gay. If you consider yourself an LGBTQ+ ally, don't forget the trans and nonbinary kids who will also be affected by this bill.