Throughout the summer of 2023, Florida has passed new controversial bills that have garnered much attention and outcry across the state.  

The most notable of these bills being ones that make students use pronouns and bathrooms that align with their gender assigned at birth, limit the teaching about sexuality and gender, makes it easier for parents to get books banned from schools that are inappropriate for children, and allows parents to not enroll their kids into sexual education classes. 

The bills are praised on one end of the spectrum by those who don’t agree with the attitude schools are taking towards gender and how it’s taught in schools. An argument that’s often made is that no sexuality should be taught in schools in general and it’s up to the parents to decide on how to teach their children. 

It is also argued that books in schools should be able to be taken out easier in order to stop students from checking out literature that contains vulgar material. This has been seen throughout the United States with one of the most famous examples being when a pastor in North Carolina read a book to the school board that contained a graphic description of sexual intercourse.  

While one side is happy about the new bills passed, the other side is clearly outraged at this matter. When the bill was being passed through congress, a group of protesters were protesting outside the doors of the congress and throughout the streets of Tallahassee. 

These protesters believe that schools are trying to censor the teaching of LGBTQ topics and that it’s marginalizing their community. A belief often held is that not allowing schools to teach about LGBTQ matters and let students change their pronouns and referred gender will cause mental issues within them as they “aren’t able to be who they truly are”. 

Aside from the laws on LGBTQ in school, another law permits schools to only teach about slavery and other historical topics of that matter in only an objective manner.  

All these laws together have made clear that Florida is republican and trying to fight against the ideals of the those who are part of the left. All throughout the state there have been clashes between the two sides and many are calling these bills to be overturned for the “safety” of the children in school systems, but nonetheless schools statewide will have to adjust their curriculum to follow the new guidelines.