Sen. Ileana Garcia, a Miami Republican who recently faced national criticism for saying “LGBT is not a permanent thing” while debating a contentious bill in the Florida Legislature, apologized on Thursday to anyone who was offended by what she said.
In a statement posted on Twitter, Garcia said she did not intend to “generalize or disregard the experiences of any member of the LGBT+ community” when arguing why she supported the “parental rights in education” bill — which critics have dubbed the “don’t say gay” bill.
The bill, which has drawn national attention, would prohibit school lessons in kindergarten through third grade about sexual orientation and gender identity, or in other grades in ways that are not considered age-appropriate.
