WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A new bill in Florida is looking to expand the state's Parental Rights in Education Act, sometimes referred to by opponents as "Don't Say Gay."
The proposal would extend the law to the eighth grade in public and charter schools.
HB 1223 would also ban any student from changing their pronoun from birth while attending pre-kindergarten to the 12th grade.
The bill was proposed by state Rep. Adam Anderson, R-Palm Harbor.
RELATED: Parents of LGBTQ students express concerns with HB 1223
"This expansion is necessary to continue moving forward with focusing on the basics: math, reading, writing," Jessica Graham with the Moms for Liberty said.
Passed last year, the original bill stopped any classroom education on sexual orientation and gender identity from pre-kindergarten to third grade.
The new bill will take that ban to the eighth grade.
Read the full bill below:
It also prevents any school employee, contractor or student from referring to another person at school by a preferred pronoun.
Backlash, similar to last year when opponents called it the "Don't Say Gay" bill, will likely return.
However, Republicans who backed the original bill last year hold a strong majority in the state Capitol.
The Palm Beach County School District released the following statement regarding the bill:
"The District is currently reviewing HB 1223 and will continue to watch the development of this proposed legislation. The District will act in accordance with legislation that is formally approved and enacted by the State."
