Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, previously holding the position from 1999 until 2008. He was also the Prime Minister of Russia from 1999 to 2000 and again from 2008 to 2012.
Editorial: Storm clouds engulf Florida
It's likely that Florida is about to become the first state in the U.S. to have a Russian-style anti-LGBTQ propaganda law. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who's up for reelection this year, has indicated he will sign the so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill, which passed in the Florida House and state Senate.
While its Russian counterpart signed by President Vladimir Putin in 2013 is much broader and prohibits distribution of any information about LGBTQs to minors, Florida House Bill 1557, the Parental Rights in Education bill, would prevent teachers from talking about LGBTQ+ issues or people in kindergarten through third grade.
It would undermine existing protections for LGBTQ+ students. Florida is dominated by Republican lawmakers and DeSantis is widely considered to be a 2024 presidential candidate.
In a craven display to incite their conservative base, Florida Republicans are forcing teachers to pretend LGBTQ people don't exist or are expendable by passing a law that prohibits mentioning them in school classrooms.The Human Rights Campaign, along with numerous other LGBTQ rights groups, has condemned the bill. "The Florida Legislature is playing a dangerous political game with the health and safety of LGBTQ+ kids," stated Cathryn M.
