A bill advanced by Florida Republicans on Wednesday would ban teachers and other government employees from displaying a rainbow flag – even wearing one as a lapel pin for a day – but they could hang the full-size flag of any “recognized nation” as long as they want, according to the bill’s sponsor.
Flag displays that depict a “racial, sexual orientation and gender, or political ideology viewpoint” would be banned from any state or local government building, including public schools and universities, under the bill authored by GOP Rep. David Borrero.
Opponents say the bill is inspired by hate. Borrero said it protects children and it would ban even lapel pins representing the flags of the LGBTQ+ and Black Lives Matter movements.
“Public classrooms should not be the place where our kids go to be radicalized and evangelized into accepting these partisan, radical ideologies,” Borrero said. “It’s wholly inappropriate to be putting those types of flags in front of public school students and in government buildings.”
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Flag displays that depict a “racial, sexual orientation and gender, or political ideology viewpoint” would be banned from any state or local government building, including public schools and universities, under the bill authored by GOP Rep. David Borrero.
Borrero said it protects children and it would ban even lapel pins representing the flags of the LGBTQ+ and Black Lives Matter movements.
“It’s wholly inappropriate to be putting those types of flags in front of public school students and in government buildings.”
This bill advanced with a party-line 9-5 vote by the House Constitutional Rights, Rule of Law & Government Operations Subcommittee faces an uncertain path, even with Republican supermajorities in the Legislature.
Democratic Rep. Michele Rayner, who is Black and lesbian, spoke with frustration that anti-LGBTQ+ bills keep coming up in the Florida Legislature, ignoring more pressing needs such as access to affordable housing and property insurance.
Robert Boo, CEO of the town’s Pride Center, said DeSantis and the bill’s backers hope to “erase the LGBTQ community” and throw “red meat” to their political supporters while ignoring complicated issues plaguing the state.
The original article contains 741 words, the summary contains 182 words. Saved 75%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!