This bill expands on last year’s bill that banned books, made classrooms more hostile for LGBTQ youth, and encouraged lawsuits against school districts. It would censor teaching anything about sexual orientation or gender identity up through 8th grade, broaden the bases for book bans, and forbid any use of pronouns that respect a transgender student’s identity. The House version also enforces the ban on charter schools and private pre-kindergarten.

This bill limits the medical freedom of transgender Floridians, with impacts ranging from the banning of lifesaving medical care for transgender youth to restricting transgender Floridians access to private insurance and banning their legal recognition via birth certificate.

This bill targets the parents of transgender youth and providers of healthcare, threatening criminal sentences for helping transgender youth access life saving healthcare. It restructures Florida law on parental custody disputes and effectively treats parents seeking affirming care for transgender youth as child abusers. It empowers the government to remove children from an affirming parent by favoring custody for a parent or guardian who is unsupportive of gender affirming care.

This bill would prohibit gender-inclusive restrooms and changing facilities in schools, private businesses, public shelters, and healthcare facilities. Transgender people shouldn’t be criminalized for using the bathroom that matches the gender they live in every day.

Live performance art, including drag, is a powerful form of freedom of expression that can educate, empower, and entertain. Florida law already prohibits exposing minors to shows considered sexually explicit or harmful, but this bill expands state law to include vague language that can be used to attack our drag community. It threatens venues that host drag performances with steep fines and injects the government into a parent’s right to determine what art and entertainment content is appropriate for their own children.