Days after the state of Florida passed a bill that restricts instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, a human rights group has launched a billboard campaign taking shots at the state.
NBC affiliate WFLA-TV reports the Human Rights Campaign, an organization promoting LGBTQ+ civil rights, placed the billboards calling Florida “The Sunshine ‘Don’t Say Gay or Trans’ State” in three cities across the state.
The billboards are located in one spot in Tampa and three spots each in Tallahassee and Orlando. The HRC plans to place additional billboards at locations in South Florida.
Officials said the billboards were in response to the 'Parental Rights in Education' law, often referred to opponents as the "Don’t Say Gay” bill.
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The law deliberately employs broad terms and invites arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement, empowering parents to be roving censors who can sue school boards for damages based on any perceived violation, the lawsuit adds.
The law states: “Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.” Parents would be able to sue districts over violations.
