ORLANDO, Fla. – On Wednesday the Orlando Police Department announced that an arrest had been made in the hate crime vandalism of LGBTQ+ murals at the Orlando LGBTQ Center with hateful messages and Nazi symbols August 26, 2023.

The OPD announced the arrest of Matthew Michael Robinson, a 34-year-old white male who was charged with 3 counts of Criminal Mischief. The OPD noted that they will be seeking hate crime enhancements “for evidence of prejudice during the commission of these crimes.”

The Center has been targeted before with incidents stretching back over a decade. In May of 2020, a Pulse memorial mural on the walls of the center was vandalized with white supremacist stickers and graffiti.

On September 13, 2023, Matthew Michael Robinson (34yoa W/M) was arrested and charged with 3 counts of Criminal Mischief. We will be seeking enhancements for evidence of prejudice during the commission of these crimes.

Full details of the crimes he committed ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/QYeuS9HoB7

— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) September 13, 2023

Democratic state Representative Anna V. Eskamani, who represents a District that includes Orlando and a longtime LGBTQ+ community ally noted on X/Twitter at the time of the incident: “These [photos] were shared by the ED of our LGBTQ+ Center — absolutely disgusting. Will do what we can to identify who did this and hold them accountable.”

The murals were created by the LGBTQ+ youth organization Zebra Youth, who said in a Facebook post: “We were just informed that @orlandopolice has made an arrest for the mural vandalism that impacted both @zebra_youth and @thecenterorlando – the investigation is still ongoing and reports can be made to @crimelinefl”

Volunteers gathered at the center to white-wash the hate speech and symbols and repair the damage. The volunteers were joined by Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan.

Orlando Police are asking that if anyone is aware of the incident or has further information to please contact detectives.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Sentinel’s editorial board chastised the four Republican lawmakers for threatening Mount Dora City officials with punitive actions after the city implemented a LGBTQ ‘Safe Space’ program.

The Orlando Sentinel, which is the primary newspaper of the Central Florida region as well as the 3rd largest daily newspaper by circulation in the state, wrote:

“Even after all the news coverage, it’s hard to fathom the depths of toxic, illogical thinking behind a missive sent to Mount Dora city leaders by the Lake County legislative delegation, in response to the city’s approval of a “safe spaces” program that encourages business leaders to offer refuge to people threatened with harassment or violence.

Smugly hateful, the missive carried a thinly veiled threat to punish Mount Dora residents if their City Council doesn’t knuckle under. The Republican lawmakers signing off on it —Sen. Dennis Baxley, and Reps. Keith Truenow, Taylor Yarkosky and Stan McClain — should be ashamed of themselves. They aren’t.

Their letter read, “We believe that you are putting the City of Mount Dora in the crosshairs of potentially detrimental and absolutely unnecessary, economic harm.” No, fellas, that’s you: This threat is coming from inside the House (and Senate, and governor’s mansion).

Mount Dora council members and residents are precisely the wrong audience for this nonsense. Voters chose LGBTQ leaders for three of the seven council seats. And city leaders are well aware of the upswing in threats and actual crimes this brand of poisonous politicking spawns.”

In a August 21st letter to the City of Mt. Dora, state Senator Dennis Baxley, along with state Representatives Keith L. Truenow, Taylor Michael Yarkosky, and Stan McClain expressed outrage at the actions undertaken to protect LGBTQ+ people who may feel threatened.

The four Republican state lawmakers, all from Central Florida declared that they would be exploring “all legislative, legal and executive options available” to overturn the actions of this small town’s business community, government officials and its police department to mark ‘Safe Spaces’ for the LGBTQ+ community.

Former state lawmaker, Carlos Guillermo Smith, who is openly gay had tweeted:

OK, WE GET IT ALREADY. Florida Republican lawmakers have made it absolutely, and unequivocally clear that they do not want any safe spaces for LGBTQ people in our state. Yet, we’ll keep creating them because we can.

OK, WE GET IT ALREADY. Florida Republican lawmakers have made it absolutely, and unequivocally clear that they do not want any safe spaces for LGBTQ people in our state.

Yet, we’ll keep creating them because we can. https://t.co/s0KVW7zoLM

— Carlos Guillermo Smith (@CarlosGSmith) August 23, 2023

Read the full Orlando Sentinel editorial here: (Link)

Related:

MOUNT DORA, Fla. – Four Republican state lawmakers from Central Florida declared that they would be exploring “all legislative, legal and executive options available” to overturn the actions of this small town’s business community, government officials and its police department to mark ‘Safe Spaces’ for the LGBTQ+ community.

In a August 21st letter to the City of Mt. Dora, state Senator Dennis Baxley, along with state Representatives Keith L. Truenow, Taylor Michael Yarkosky, and Stan McClain expressed outrage at the actions undertaken to protect LGBTQ+ people who may feel threatened.

On the city’s website it details the Safe Place program:

The City of Mount Dora and the Mount Dora Police Department (MDPD) are committed to the safety of all residents and visitors including Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/ Questioning (LGBTQ+).

The mission of the Safe Place Initiative is to provide the community with easily accessible safety information and safe places throughout the city they can turn to if they are the victims of an anti-LGBTQ+ or other hate crimes. Hate crimes are motivated by the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, mental, physical, or sensory disabilities, homelessness, marital status, political ideology, age, or parental status.

Through the Safe Place Initiative, the MDPD will provide decals to City facilities, local businesses and other organizations for those entities to post as a symbol of safety for the victims of an anti-LGBTQ+ or other hate crimes. 

Anyone who seeks solace in a Safe Place location can be assured that if they are the victim of a crime, police will promptly be called. 

The website then provides guidelines on obtaining and posting the decals that mark the bossiness as ‘Safe Spaces’ along with FAQ’s and instructions.

The four lawmakers in their letter allege that in the previous decade plus there had been no recorded incidents of anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes or hate motivated attacks. The quartet then stated that the City’s actions were divisive and unwarranted. They claimed that the city was picking “winners and losers” and alienating visitors and residents.

Under the administration of Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, passage of new laws that severely limit the civil rights of LGBTQ+ Floridians has increased anti-LGBTQ+ animus in the state.

Two of the state of Florida’s largest civil and human rights groups took an unusual extraordinary step of issuing a warning to travelers to avoid traveling to the ‘Sunshine State’ as a result of the policies of Governor DeSantis.

OK, WE GET IT ALREADY. Florida Republican lawmakers have made it absolutely, and unequivocally clear that they do not want any safe spaces for LGBTQ people in our state.

Yet, we’ll keep creating them because we can. https://t.co/s0KVW7zoLM

— Carlos Guillermo Smith (@CarlosGSmith) August 23, 2023

The largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights advocacy group Equality Florida and the Florida Immigrant Coalition warned the passage of laws that are hostile to the LGBTQ+ community, restrict access to reproductive health care, repeal gun safety laws, foment racial prejudice, and attack public education by banning books and censoring curriculum, has made Florida a risk to the health, safety, and civil liberties of those considering short or long term travel, or relocation to the state. 

The Associated Press reported that in May, the Humans Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ+ rights organization in the U.S., joined other civil rights organizations in issuing a travel advisory for Florida, warning that newly passed laws and policies may pose risks to minorities, immigrants and gay travelers.

'SAFE PLACES': Some central Florida lawmakers said they were considering “all legislative, legal and executive options available” to stop business owners in a small town from voluntarily displaying rainbow decals in their windows. https://t.co/bPrNBoxCfx

— WPLG Local 10 News (@WPLGLocal10) September 2, 2023

ORLANDO, Fl. – On Saturday, the LGBTQ Center of Orlando’s Zebra Youth murals were defaced with Nazi and white Christian nationalist symbols and anti-LGBTQ+ hate speech. A spokesperson for the Orlando Police Department confirmed that an investigation is underway.

The Center has been targeted before with incidents stretching back over a decade. In May of 2020, a Pulse memorial mural on the walls of the center was vandalized with white supremacist stickers and graffiti.

Democratic state Representative Anna V. Eskamani, who represents a District that includes Orlando and a longtime LGBTQ+ community ally noted on X/Twitter: “These [photos] were shared by the ED of our LGBTQ+ Center — absolutely disgusting. Will do what we can to identify who did this and hold them accountable.”

These were shared by the ED of our LGBTQ+ Center — absolutely disgusting. Will do what we can to identify who did this and hold them accountable. pic.twitter.com/BNWOJkxfK6

— Rep. Anna V. Eskamani 🔨 (@AnnaForFlorida) August 26, 2023

On Facebook the Center issued a statement: “The Center & Zebra Youth‘s murals have been vandalized with hateful messages and nazi symbols. It’s not the first time it has happened and even though is frustrating, we are not going to stop being a beacon of light for our community.”

The LGBTQ+ youth organization Zebra Youth who created the murals also issued a statement: “Zebra Youth and LGBT+ Center Orlando – The Center’s beautiful murals were vandalized with hateful homophobic and transphobic messages and n*zi symbols. We are working with the Orlando Police Department to identify and prosecute this horrible hate crime. We appreciate all of the community support and are doing everything to ensure the safety of our youth and staff. We will not allow hate to win.”

In a statement to the Blade, a spokesperson for Equality Florida said: “Governor DeSantis has unleashed and emboldened a scourge of hate in Florida. He has fanned the flames of anti-LGBTQ bigotry and his agenda sends a clear message that his administration not only tolerates hate, it welcomes it. These vile messages have no place in our state. We stand with The Center, Zebra Youth, and all those working to make Florida better.”

By mid morning volunteers were at the center to white-wash the hate speech and symbols and repair the damage. The volunteers were joined by Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan.

TALLAHASSEE – A newly enacted law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis is forcing a student group at Tallahassee Community College to change its name or face loss of state and federal funding. DeSantis signed Senate Bill 266 into law on May 15 and it took effect last month.

Tyler Soto, a student at TCC, a member of The Black Male Achievers student group told Florida Public Radio/NPR outlet WUSF the group is working out possible new names, such as “Male Achievers” or “Scholar Male Achievers.”

“We’re going to have to change the name of our organization or they’re going to defund it because it has ‘Black’ in front of it,” Soto said.

A new law prohibits student-led organizations that “advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion” and other social and political causes from receiving state or federal funding. While those organizations aren’t banned outright, they may only receive funding from student-activity fees under the new law.

Soto, who’s also a member of TCC’s Student Government Association, says changes like these only encourage him to get more involved in the political process.

“It has made me want to step up and be the change.”

NBC News in Miami reported this new law threatens activities historically led by Black fraternities and sororities, which have advocated for equality and the advancement of people of color in the United States. Black student organizations are largely funded by students, but colleges and universities sometimes provide them with space and food for campus activities, according to BET, and the law may affect that.

In remarks at the time the bill was signed, referring to diversity and inclusion polices, the governor said: ‘‘This has basically been used as a veneer to impose an ideological agenda and that is wrong. In fact, if you look at the way this has actually been implemented across the country, DEI is better viewed as standing for discrimination, exclusion and indoctrination, and that has no place in our public institutions.”

Other members of the Black Male Achievers have also called out the law, as well as others restricting how race and African American history are taught in K-12 schools and colleges.

“I don’t think we should have to change our name because obviously it’s for the Black community, so I’m not a fan,” Denzel Wiggins, a member of the Black Male Achievers, told WUSF. 

Black Male Achievers was founded with the aim of empowering and educating minority men, according to the Tallahassee Community College website.

The organization provides mentoring and academic advising, as well as academic and professional skill development through workshop events and guest speakers. The goal is to help students graduate and enter the workforce. Members are also eligible to apply for scholarships.

By Michael Moline | SARASOTA, FL. – Sara Engels is a rising junior at the New College of Florida studying political psychology. She wants to take a class called “Health, Culture, and Societies” this fall but it might not be available under the atmosphere of conservative orthodoxy the DeSantis administration is imposing on public university and college campuses.

The class, you see, addresses the different health outcomes people realize based on their race, class, gender, or ethnicity. That seems to be forbidden under a new state law banning instruction touching on identity politics, systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege.

Carlton Leffler is the equivalent of a senior at the public honors academy taking urban studies and Chinese classes. The first field entails many of the same topics as Engels’ health class; as for Chinese, the law would appear to limit discussion of pivotal historical material about Mao Tse Tung, his “Little Red Book” and the Chinese Cultural Revolution.

Engles and Leffler both are plaintiffs in a new legal challenge to SB 226, one of the anti-“woke” laws that the Republican-dominated Florida Legislature has approved for Gov. Ron DeSantis. All of the plaintiffs, including a third student and two professors, are affiliated with New College but the law applies to public higher education throughout the state.

“The student plaintiffs are adults capable of determining for themselves whether the viewpoints advanced by their various instructors … have merit,” the 81-page brief, filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida in Tallahassee, reads.

“In order to know whether the viewpoints advanced by their professors have merit, the student plaintiffs must first have an opportunity to encounter them; that is, they must be permitted to listen to the professors’ instruction in class,” it says.

“The professor plaintiffs are willing speakers and the student plaintiffs are willing listeners. They desire to engage in academic discussion concerning topics prohibited by SB 266.”

Organizing the case is another plaintiff, NCF Freedom, which describes itself as “an independent organization founded to protect and promote the academic mission of New College.”

Sweeping changes

SB 266, passed earlier this year, made sweeping changes to higher education governance in Florida, including bans on diversity initiatives or application of critical race theory. The measure also specified that university presidents have the last word on personnel matters, abrogating the contract’s arbitration language.

It followed passage of the “Stop WOKE,” or “Individual Freedom,” Act in 2022 to restrict conversations about race and gender in schools and workplaces. A federal judge found that law unconstitutional nearly one year ago.

New College is a public, small honors institution located in Sarasota. As the lawsuit points out, “Historically, New College has had a reputation for welcoming LGBTQ+ students and unconventional individuals of every sort. The landing page for the College’s website proclaims that it is a ‘Community of Free Thinkers, Risk Takers and Trailblazers.’”

The document cites campus organizations including “New College Feral Pigeons;” the “Indigenous Student Union;” and “Queery” — “an organization which ‘serves to maintain New College as a safe place for LGBTQ+ identified individuals and their allies to socialize and engage with the larger community.’”

By contrast, DeSantis hopes to convert the Sarasota campus to “a Hillsdale of the South,” referring to the private Christian Hillsdale College in Michigan. He got rid of the sitting board members and imposed conservative activists including Christopher Rufo, who was behind the anti-CRT (critical race theory) movement. The governor’s board and Corcoran are even promoting intercollegiate athletics as a draw for more conservatively aligned students.

Named as defendants are Manny Diaz Jr., state commissioner of education and a member of the university system’s Board of Governors; Brian Lamb, chairman of the Board of Governors; Eric Silagy, vice chairman of the governors; the 11 remaining governors; the New College Board of Trustees and its members; and Richard Corcoran, interim president of New College.

Academic threat

SB 266 threatens academic fields including gender studies, history, art, English, sociology, and more to the extent they inquire into this country’s complicated political and social histories, the complaint alleges.

“The elimination or curtailment of many AOCs [areas of concentration] or majors directly affects the rights of current and future faculty and students, including the plaintiffs bringing this action. Faculty and students at colleges and universities throughout Florida face the same censorship and the same injury to their rights of free speech and academic inquiry,” the complaint reads.

It adds: “Given its unique status as an honor college, dedicated to the liberal arts and attracting free thinkers from around the nation, New College is uniquely vulnerable to the censorship and pall of orthodoxy imposed by SB 266.”

Furthermore, NCFF risks reprisal against itself and its members because of its support for social justice and diversity, the complaint adds.

The document alleges viewpoint-based discrimination against protected speech in violation of the First Amendment; and that the law is unconstitutionally vague under the Due Process Clause of the Fourth Amendment, in that it fails to sufficiently specify what behavior will draw punishment.

‘Categorical ban on speech’

Additionally, the law is overbroad in that its “categorical ban on speech … is not sensitive to specific speech in context and is not supported by legislative findings of fact which might serve to either justify or narrow the broad scope of the censorship scheme. SB 266 has a strong likelihood of deterring speech which is not properly subject to the law including discussion of almost all controversial historical, political and social topics, many of which are vital to the unimpeded flow of ideas in a free society.”

The complaint also targets new restrictions on tenure protection for faculty, arguing the law will chill free inquiry plus classroom instruction and debate between students in class.

The United Faculty of Florida, which represents university faculty, filed a 35-page complaint on Aug. 4 in state circuit court in Leon County over the tenure restrictions.

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Michael Moline has covered politics and the legal system for more than 30 years. He is a former managing editor of the San Francisco Daily Journal and former assistant managing editor of The National Law Journal.

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The preceding article was previously published by the Florida Phoenix and is republished with permission.

The Phoenix is a nonprofit news site that’s free of advertising and free to readers. We cover state government and politics with a staff of five journalists located at the Florida Press Center in downtown Tallahassee.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – Equality Florida launched a new statewide program, Parenting With Pride, on Tuesday to bring together a coalition of organizations from across the country that serve parents and families in Florida and build a hub of resources so those families know their rights, have access to the support and resources they need, can get informed, and are equipped to fight back against the laws that harm their family. 

“As a mom of four, including two LGBTQ children, the last few years have taken a toll on families like mine and the time has come for us to speak out,” said Jennifer Solomon, Equality Florida Parents & Families Support Manager. “Parents are fed up with politicians waging war on families by banning books, censoring curriculum, whitewashing history, replacing education with propaganda — all at the expense of our kids and their futures. We developed Parenting with Pride as an answer for families across the state, furious at how they are being used as political pawns and demanding an end to government censorship and intrusion into their lives — to ensure all of our families receive support, become educated, hone their advocacy skills, and get access to the resources they need. Our kids deserve respect and the opportunity to have schools and classrooms where they can grow into the leaders of tomorrow. Enough is enough.”

The program’s launch comes as school returns and a wave of new laws and education policies go into effect in Florida’s classrooms. Those laws and policies, which include an expansion of the infamous Don’t Say LGBTQ censorship provision, attacks on Black History and AP courses, restrictions on bathroom and locker room access for transgender and nonbinary students, escalated book banning, and the limiting of a family’s right to ensure their child’s pronouns and title are respected, have led to confusion and interpretation that has varied by school district. 

In response to the relentless policy barrage, the demand for information and resources from Florida’s families has grown exponentially. From those looking for basic tools to support their child as they understand their identity, to those needing support as they navigate the impacts of new laws and advocate for their child to be respected at school, to those ready to speak out at school board meetings and state legislative hearings, families at all points in their journeys are looking for the tools necessary to care for their children and defend against government attacks on their parental rights. Parenting with Pride will ensure those families can receive support, become educated, hone their advocacy skills, and get the resources they need.

Dozens joined a powerful lineup of Central Florida parents and community leaders for a press conference (available to view here) to announce the program’s launch Tuesday. The speakers and attendees, representing numerous organizations and backgrounds, underscored the range of communities impacted by recent legislation and embodied the growing coalition of Floridians joining Parenting With Pride.

Already, the program has engaged over 1,000 families across the state, with representation from Pensacola to Key West. In addition to sharing critical information and support, Parenting With Pride will provide opportunities for interested families to attend and speak out at school board meetings and state agency hearings, receive media training to share their stories in the press, and connect with other families who are ready to fight back. 

A spokesperson for Equality Florida noted special thanks to the coalition partners making Parenting With Pride possible: The Human Rights Campaign, PFLAG, Family Equality, GLSEN, Sage, The National LGBTQ Task Force, NCLR, GLAAD, Gender Spectrum, The Trevor Project, Moms Rising, National Center for Transgender Equality, GLAD, and The PTA.

TAMPA, FL. – As schools across the state of Florida prepare to welcome students back for the new 2023-2024 academic year, in Hillsborough County, school district administrators notified faculty members teaching English and literature that complete works of English bard William Shakespeare were off limits.

The reason was the expanded Parental Rights in Education Act, dubbed by critics as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law. According to the Tampa Bay Times, school district officials said they redesigned their instructional guides for teachers because of revised state teaching standards and a new set of state exams that cover a vast array of books and writing styles.

“It was also in consideration of the law,” said school district spokeswoman Tanya Arja.

This past April, Florida’s Board of Education voted to implement a rule that expands the state’s “Don’t Say LGBTQ+” law to now prohibit instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity through 12th grade in the state’s public schools.

The Board of Education’s rule change, which does not require legislative approval, will ban lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity from fourth to twelfth grade unless required by state standards or as part of a reproductive health course that parents can opt students out of.

The vote by the Board of Education was put forth by the state Education Department, both of which are controlled by appointees of Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis who has publicly stated his opposition to LGBTQ+ equality and teaching of critical race theory and certain aspects of Black history. 

In Hillsborough County, students will be assigned excerpted pages from the bard, which might include “Macbeth,” “Hamlet” and the time-honored teen favorite, “Romeo and Juliet.” But if they want to read them in their entirety, they will likely have to do it on their own time, the Tampa Bay Times noted.

Joseph Cool, a reading teacher in the district, told the Tampa Bay Times that “the rest of the nation — no, the world, is laughing us.” 

“Taking Shakespeare in its entirety out because the relationship between Romeo and Juliet is somehow exploiting minors is just absurd,” he added.

Hillsborough County School Board member Jessica Vaughn, who has been targeted by the governor over her outspoken views opposing Governor DeSantis’ anti-woke rhetoric and anti-LGBTQ+ policies, posted on Facebook expressing her displeasure at the decision and how the board has not been informed of many recent changes before they are made public writing:

“I spent hours on the phone this morning with frustrated parents (of all partisanship) who are outraged with the direction of public education and who feel like the people who are influencing public education policies have zero stake in public education, and don’t have children who utilize our public school system.”

“Honestly, it feels that much of this is intentional, in order to cause as much chaos in public education as possible, so that the collapse of public education is swift and the agenda of education privatization can move forward with less obstacles,” she added.

TALLAHASSEE – In an abrupt reversal, Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. sent a letter to the state’s Superintendent’s Association late Friday reversing Thursday’s notice that the Advanced Placement psychology course curriculum must be scrubbed of its gender and human sexuality unit in order to continue being taught in Florida classrooms.

In his letter to the state superintendents, Diaz Jr. said the state believed the psychology course could be taught “in its entirety.”

Charged by critics as censorship of course content, The Florida Department of Education initially maintained that teaching the AP course’s lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity, are topics forbidden by the state’s new laws known colloquially as the ‘Stop Woke Act and ‘Don’t Say Gay’ signed by Governor Ron DeSantis earlier this year.

In a statement after Diaz’s actions on Thursday barring the AP course, the College Board, the non-profit organization that oversees the AP Program, SAT Suite, and other programs for public and private high school students seeking to attend college, issued a statement that read: “We are sad to have learned that today the Florida Department of Education has effectively banned AP Psychology in the state by instructing Florida superintendents that teaching foundational content on sexual orientation and gender identity is illegal under state law.”

The College Board then instructed Florida’s high schools to not offer the course unless it was taught to students in full.

The Associated Press reported the Board refused to modify the psychology course to comply with Florida’s new legislation. The course asks students to describe how sex and gender influence a person’s development — topics that have been part of the curriculum since it launched 30 years ago.

In standing firm against pressure from Florida officials, the College Board, which administers the SAT and AP exams, has acknowledged missteps in the way it handled the African American studies curriculum.

“We have learned from our mistakes in the recent rollout of AP African American Studies and know that we must be clear from the outset where we stand,” the non-profit said.

After the Florida Department of Education’s reversal, the Board said it hoped teachers now will be able “to teach the full course, including content on gender and sexual orientation, without fear of punishment in the upcoming school year.”

In response to the decision by Diaz to allow high school Advanced Placement Psychology to be taught “in its entirety,” Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, CEO of the American Psychological Association said in a statement:

“The Florida Department of Education has done the right thing by agreeing that Advanced Placement Psychology may be taught ‘in its entirety,’ without censoring information on sexual orientation and gender identity. This decision puts students and science ahead of politics. Florida students have been taught AP Psychology in an age and developmentally appropriate way for the last 25 years and we are pleased that will continue.”

Equality Florida Senior Political Director Joe Saunders issued the following statement:

This week Florida’s parents are waking up to the reality that Governor Desantis, Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, and the Florida Board of Education have turned our public schools into political battlefields. Their intentionally vague Don’t Say LGBTQ rule, built on the  legislature’s Don’t Say LGBTQ law, is fostering sweeping censorship in every classroom in our state. 

Commissioner Diaz’s most recent guidance that AP Psychology should be taught “in its entirety” is a recognition that sweeping censorship is wildly unpopular and, unchecked, will continue to do harm to educational opportunities for Florida’s students and to public education. AP Psychology is one of the most popular AP options for Florida students and has been taught for years, including the curriculum related to sexual orientation and gender identity, in a way that is age appropriate and in accordance with state standards.

We applaud the school districts that have held strong in the fight against the censorship of the Don’t Say LGBTQ law and rule and encourage all education leaders to take the Commissioner at his word. Districts and teachers should  teach AP Psychology in its entirety — including the LGBTQ-inclusive content. Additionally, we call on the Department of Education to immediately issue clarifying guidance that affirms AP Psychology’s alignment with state standards and protects AP Psychology teachers from political attacks for teaching the course “in its entirety.” 

But let’s be clear.  We did not have to be here. Governor DeSantis and his political ambition have turned Florida’s classrooms into political battlegrounds. Put an end to the chaos. Let teachers teach. Let students learn. And stop using Florida’s schools as a petri dish for the right wing anti-freedom agenda. The hateful Don’t Say LGBTQ rule should be repealed immediately.

Related:

TALLAHASSEE – The College Board, the non-profit organization that oversees the AP Program, SAT Suite, and BigFuture programs for public and private high school students seeking to attend college, announced Thursday that Florida will not allow public school students to take Advanced Placement psychology, because the course includes lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The Florida Department of Education sent a notice to the state’s Superintendent’s Association Thursday that AP Psychology must be scrubbed of its gender and human sexuality unit in order to continue being taught in Florida classrooms as lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity, are topics forbidden by the state’s new laws known colloquially as the ‘Stop Woke Act and ‘Don’t Say Gay’ signed by Governor Ron DeSantis earlier this year.

This censorship of course content will result in students being denied AP designation and, as a result, the college credit earned for completing the course. The move also comes as the DeSantis Administration doubles down on its whitewashing of African American history and peddling of lies about enslaved people “benefiting” from chattel slavery.

The Orlando Sentinel reported the state banning AP classes is taking place a week before school starts in many districts. According to the Sentinel, about 5,000 Central Florida students and about 27,000 statewide may not be able to take a class they signed up to tackle in the 2023-24 school year.

“We are sad to have learned that today the Florida Department of Education has effectively banned AP Psychology in the state by instructing Florida superintendents that teaching foundational content on sexual orientation and gender identity is illegal under state law,” the College Board said in a statement.

Equality Florida issued the following statement:

“The DeSantis regime is at war with students and parents, censoring more AP curriculum and denying students the opportunity to earn college credit. The administration has already stated that the AP African American Studies course “lacks significant educational value,” instead preferring to falsely applaud slavery as an American jobs program.

Now, the DeSantis Administration wants to rewrite AP Psychology curriculum to enforce their image of America, too. Governor DeSantis will undermine any student’s education, revoke any parent’s rights, and demolish any curriculum to remake Florida’s schools into right wing propaganda machines in service to his political ambitions. His administration continues to use families and classrooms as pawns and do catastrophic damage to this state and its reputation.”