Parental Rights in Education Law was signed by Gov. DeSantis last month and is set to go into effect July 1. It regulates the classroom discussion of sexuality and gender identity with elementary students.
The law has been met with fierce criticism from those saying it would deny much-needed help and support to LGBTQ+ youth.It remains to be seen whether the law ever takes effect, as lawyers with the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the firm of Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP filed a lawsuit last week in a federal court against what the NCLR called a “blatantly unconstitutional law” in a press release.Gabbard has a problematic history on LGBTQ+ people.
On her way out of Congress in 2020, she sponsored an anti-trans bill. She was a state legislator in 2004 when she denounced “homosexual extremists,” who, she said, were falsely claiming there was a difference between civil unions and same-sex marriage.
Hawaii was considering civil union legislation at the time. She also used the phrase to describe opponents of her father, Mike Gabbard, who ran an organization that worked against marriage equality and other LGBTQ+ causes and reportedly endorsed conversion therapy..