PanamaTimes

Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

‘Grave abuse of power’: LGBTQ advocates sue Florida over new law

‘Grave abuse of power’: LGBTQ advocates sue Florida over new law

Lawsuit accuses US state of infringing on rights of LGBTQ students and their families with ‘Don’t Say Gay’ legislation.

Rights advocates in the US state of Florida have filed a lawsuit against Governor Ron DeSantis over a contentious law that they say seeks to marginalise LGBTQ students and their families.

Dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by its critics, the legislation signed into law earlier this week forbids classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.

The legal challenge, filed in United States federal court in Tallahassee on behalf of Equality Florida and Family Equality on Thursday, alleged that the law violates the constitutionally protected rights of free speech, equal protection and due process of students and families.

“This effort to control young minds through state censorship — and to demean LGBTQ lives by denying their reality — is a grave abuse of power,” it said.

“The United States Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed that LGBTQ people and their families are at home in our constitutional order. The State of Florida has no right to declare them outcasts, or to treat their allies as outlaws, by punishing schools where someone dares to affirm their identity and dignity.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has defended the law as reasonable


The Florida legislation allows parents to sue a school district, at the district’s expense, if they believe the measure is not being enforced.

It states: “Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”

DeSantis and other Republicans have repeatedly said the measure is reasonable and that parents, not teachers, should be broaching subjects of sexual orientation and gender identity with their children.

“We will make sure that parents can send their kids to school to get an education, not an indoctrination,” the Florida governor said to applause before signing the bill into law on Monday.

But many critics have said the law’s language, particularly the phrases “classroom instruction” and “age appropriate”, could be interpreted so broadly that discussion in any grade could trigger lawsuits, creating a classroom atmosphere where teachers would avoid the subjects entirely.


Civil rights groups, as well as progressive lawmakers, celebrities and US companies, have spoken out against the legislation as an attack on the rights of LGBTQ community members. US President Joe Biden last month also described the measure as “hateful”.

“This law is discriminatory and will directly harm Florida’s students and teachers, who have a right to receive information at school free of political censorship,” the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said this week. “In a time of escalating attacks on trans youth across the nation, we need more inclusive education, not less.”

The lawsuit filed on Thursday sought to block the law from taking effect and also named Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran and other education officials as defendants.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona met LGBTQ students and their family members at a school in Orlando on Thursday, discussing privately how the legislation is affecting their lives.

The visit was one of several Biden administration events showing support for the community throughout the day, including a presidential proclamation recognising Transgender Day of Visibility.

“We know while many transgender students experience valuable support at school, many others face significant challenges because of hostility directed at them by others,” Cardona said. “This includes a growing number of state laws that bully and intimidate LGBTQI+ students and their families.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

PanamaTimes
0:00
0:00
Close
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Brazilian Congress Rejects Lula's Proposed Tax Increase on Financial Transactions
Landslide in Bello, Colombia, Results in Multiple Casualties
Papa Johns pizza surge near the Pentagon tipped off social media before Trump's decisive Iran strike
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
Minnesota Lawmaker Melissa Hortman and Husband Killed in Targeted Attack; Senator John Hoffman and Wife Injured
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Sole Survivor of Air India Crash Recounts Escape
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
UK and EU Reach Agreement on Gibraltar's Schengen Integration
Israeli Finance Minister Imposes Banking Penalties on Palestinians
U.S. Inflation Rises to 2.4% in May Amid Trade Tensions
Trump's Policies Prompt Decline in Chinese Student Enrollment in U.S.
Global Oceans Near Record Temperatures as CO₂ Levels Climb
Trump Announces U.S.-China Trade Deal Covering Rare Earths
Smuggled U.S. Fuel Funds Mexican Cartels Amid Crackdown
Protests Erupt in Los Angeles with Symbolic Flag Burning
Trump Administration Issues New Travel Ban Targeting 12 Countries
Man Group Mandates Full-Time Office Return for Quantitative Analysts
JPMorgan Warns Analysts Against Accepting Future-Dated Job Offers
Builder.ai Faces Legal Scrutiny Amid Financial Misreporting Allegations
Japan Grapples with Rice Shortage Amid Soaring Prices
Goldman Sachs Reduces Risk Exposure Amid Market Volatility
HSBC Chairman Mark Tucker to Return to AIA as Non-Executive Chair
Israel Confirms Arming Gaza Clan to Counter Hamas Influence
Judge Blocks Trump's Ban on International Students at Harvard
Trump Proposes Travel Ban on 'Uncontrolled' Countries
Panama Port Owner Balances US-China Pressures
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Eurozone Inflation Falls Below ECB Target to 1.9%
Call for a New Chapter in Globalisation Emerges
Blackstone and Rivals Diverge on Private Equity Strategy
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Denmark Increases Retirement Age to 70, Setting a European Precedent
Netanyahu Accuses Western Leaders of 'Emboldening Hamas'
Escalating Trade Tensions and Market Reactions
OnlyFans Reportedly in Talks for $8 Billion Sale
JBS Gains Shareholder Approval for U.S. Stock Listing
Booz Allen Hamilton to Cut 2,500 Jobs Amid Federal Spending Reductions
Trump Signs Executive Orders to Accelerate Nuclear Energy Development
Harvard Temporarily Blocks Trump Administration's International Student Ban
Nippon Steel Forms Partnership with U.S. Steel, Headquarters to Remain in Pittsburgh
Trump Expands Tariff Threats to Apple and Samsung Devices
Oracle and OpenAI Plan $40 Billion Nvidia Chip Purchase for AI Data Center
×