In the Florida Capitol Friday, trans activists wailed and chanted defiantly as state lawmakers passed a bill prohibiting school teachers from teaching radical LGBTQ and gender ideology to public school students in grades Pre-K to 8.
“This fight does not end here!” one agitator shrieked inside the Florida state capitol building in Tallahassee. “We keep showing up every single day!” He led protesters in a chant: “Whose schools? Our schools!”
BREAKING: Trans activists rally in Florida Capitol chanting "Whose schools? Our schools!" as bill passes that continues crackdown on sexual orientation and gender identity teachings
Video taken by reporter @Ernie_Sampera pic.twitter.com/nXiO3wQBdL
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) March 31, 2023
The bill, which expands on the Parental Rights in Education Act, also defines “sex,” puts restrictions on pronoun usage in schools, and adds guidelines for library books, the Florida Voice reported.
For high schoolers, the bill reportedly requires that instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity is “age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.”
The bill defines “sex” as the classification of a person as either female or male based on the organization of the body of such person for a specific reproductive role, as indicated by the person’s sex chromosomes, naturally occurring sex hormones, and internal and external genitalia present at birth.
It would also prohibit a school from requiring that an employee or student, as a condition of employment or enrollment or participation in any program, refer to another person by a pronoun that does not correspond to that person’s sex.
The bill text said an employee or contractor of a public K-12 educational institution may not provide their preferred pronouns to a student.
A student may not be asked by an employee or contractor of a public K-12 educational institution to provide his or her preferred personal title or pronouns or be penalized or subjected to adverse or discriminatory treatment for not providing his or her preferred personal title or pronouns.
State Rep. Tramont Chase said that the ban on transgender pronoun usage will allow teachers in Florida to “focus on the real intent” of education, rather than “create a frontline of a social experimentation.”
WATCH: Rep. @Tramont_Chase says new bill changing pronoun use requirements in schools will let teachers "focus on the real intent" of education pic.twitter.com/mqIEYuOUbd
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) March 31, 2023
Charter schools will also be required to comply with the conditions, according to the legislation.
The bill cleared the Florida House on a vote of 77 to 35.
The trans protest at the Florida state capitol follows direct actions in state capitol buildings in Tennessee on Thursday and Kentucky on Wednesday.