Florida House Bill 1557
Florida House Bill 1557, officially titled Parental Rights in Education, is a bill which was passed by both chambers of the Florida Legislature (69-47 in the Florida House of Representatives, and 22-17 in the Florida Senate) and signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on March 29, 2022.[1]
The majority of the bill involves parental notification of changes in health services (including mental health), and makes clear that the parent(s) has the ultimate right to decide what services, if any, a child will be provided.
However, the most controversial part of the bill was Section 3, which prohibits public school classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity, in all cases involving students from kindergarten through third grade, as well as in any manner which is not age- or developmentally appropriate.[2] It is this section which has led to the bill being called an anti-grooming bill, but more frequently falsely called the Don't Say Gay Bill.
Not surprisingly, the legislation has provoked huge outrage from woke liberals, Hollywood and big corporations like Disney. In response to Disney's opposition of the bill, DeSantis has announced his support for repealing the special legislation which created the Reedy Creek Improvement District, giving Disney what amounts to self-governing status of Walt Disney World and the other resorts nearby.[3]