In Florida, conversations about race and sexuality are more dangerous than aging buildings in the aftermath of the Surfside condo collapse. School books need more scrutiny than rising property insurance premiums. Lies about widespread election fraud are more urgently addressed than real sky-high housing and renting costs.
Tallahassee has become a city of made-up crises that the Florida Legislature was happy to fix in the legislative session that ended Monday. There was no shortage of red meat Gov. Ron DeSantis could feed his supporters in his culture wars.
Lawmakers ignored pleas from LGBTQ students and passed the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill that bans conversations about sexuality and gender identity in K-3. They limited how teachers and employers can discuss race and sexism so that white people and men don’t feel “guilty.” They made it easier for parents and activists to ban books from school libraries. Denied abortions to victims of rape, incest and human trafficking after 15 weeks of pregnancy and gave credence to Donald Trump’s lies about the 2020 election being stolen with the creation of a new state election crimes investigation office.
