And as a Mexican American, he knows how important representation is. You know, they're a part of our story.īLOCK: Botello believes lessons like that can empower LGBTQ students, weaving them into America's history. Will he still feel comfortable telling students that the Revolutionary War hero, the Prussian General von Steuben, is widely believed to have been openly gay?īOTELLO: When you look back in history, there's clear examples of how these different groups that are being attacked today actually helped form our country. He teaches eighth grade American history at Osceola Middle School in rural Okeechobee, Fla., so that age appropriate language would apply to his classes. JORJE BOTELLO: Honestly, I feel like it's just a blatant attack on education.īLOCK: That's Jorje Botello. Under the law, parents can sue if they believe the school is in violation. STEPHENS: What's next? If they're going after this conversation now, where does this stop?īLOCK: Beyond K through third grade, the Florida law also says any instruction about sexual orientation or gender identity in any grade has to be, quote, "age-appropriate." Opponents say the law will effectively muzzle any discussion out of fear. And she worries about what other topics might become a target. But Stephens fears the language is so vague, it will have a chilling effect. STEPHENS: It makes me wonder, when I talk about families in my classroom, am I going to be violating this law because the children were having discussions about what their family looks like?īLOCK: The law's sponsors say that's not the intent. But in class, they do talk a lot about kids' families, some with two moms or two dads. After all, she says, teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity isn't in the first grade curriculum. It's.īLOCK: Stephens is puzzled by the law. spoiler alert, it's not about sexual orientation or gender identity. MELISSA BLOCK, BYLINE: Here's the question Paula Stephens hears most from her first graders in Clearwater, Fla. Governor Ron DeSantis signed it into law yesterday.ĭON DESANTIS: We will make sure that parents can send their kids to school to get an education, not an indoctrination.ĬHANG: The law bans instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through third grade. Florida teachers are trying to figure out how the Parental Rights and Education Act, which opponents call the don't say gay bill, will affect their classrooms.