Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis chose a Christian school as his setting for signing bills Wednesday that ban gender surgical procedures for minors, restricts pronoun use in schools and forces people to use the bathroom corresponding with their sex in some cases.
DeSantis has made anti-LGBTQ+ legislation a large part of his agenda as he builds towards a Republican presidential campaign. He signed the bills in front of a cheering crowd at the Cambridge Christian School in Tampa. The ceremony had a campaign-like feel, as opposed to when he signed measures on abortion and gun rights in private.
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“It's kind of sad that we even have some of these discussions,” DeSantis told the crowd as he stood behind a lectern with a sign that read “Let Kids Be Kids.”
He said the new laws will prevent mutilation of minors, protect children from “sexually explicit” entertainment and keep pronouns from being forced on students.
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"We never did this through all of human history until like, what, two weeks ago? Now this is something? They're having third graders declare pronouns? We're not doing the pronoun Olympics in Florida," DeSantis said to applause.
Republic Rep. Randy Fine, who sponsored the ban on the procedures for minors, invoked his religion to defend the state's actions.
“God does not make mistakes with our children,” he said.
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Democrats opposed the bills and LBTQ+ rallies were held at the Capitol during the session that ended two weeks ago, but Republicans have a super majority in both chambers and the bills easily moved through the legislative process.
Proponents have said that so-called gender-affirming care like hormone therapy and puberty blockers can improve kids’ well-being, including reducing depression and suicidal behavior.
