Two years after Republican lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis approved a controversial measure restricting the use of personal pronouns in schools, legislative debate about the gender-related issue could shift to cities and counties.
John Labriola, a lobbyist for Christian Family Coalition Florida, told Marion County lawmakers Wednesday that his organization would like to see restrictions in the 2023 education law extended to city and county governments.
Labriola said he hopes the issue will be considered during this year’s legislative session, which will start March 4. As of Wednesday afternoon, such legislation had not been filed, according to the House and Senate websites.
“We’re asking for that (the 2023 law) to be extended to the county and the city governments, as well, because this is an area where individuals who work for city and county governments, their religious liberties and also their freedom of speech is being curtailed by employers who impose gender ideology,” Labriola said during a Marion County delegation meeting.
The 2023 law said, in part, that school employees and students “may not be required, as a condition of employment or enrollment or participation in any program, to refer to another person using that person’s preferred personal title or pronouns if such personal title or pronouns do not correspond to that person’s sex.” The state defines sex as what was assigned at birth.
Also, the law said that school employees “may not provide to a student his or her preferred personal title or pronouns if such preferred personal title or pronouns do not correspond to his or her sex.”
Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued a preliminary injunction that blocked enforcement of the 2023 law against transgender Hillsborough County teacher Katie Wood, who challenged its constitutionality. The lawsuit contends that Wood should be able to use her preferred pronouns while at work.
The state appealed Walker’s ruling, and a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in September. The panel has not issued an opinion.
Labriola said Wednesday that some counties have adopted policies on gender-identity issues, such as on the use of pronouns. Under the potential legislation, if an employee is “not comfortable using a preferred pronoun and would rather use the person’s actual pronoun, that they would not be punished or fired for using that pronoun,” he said.
Rep. Ryan Chamberlin, a Belleview Republican who is part of the Marion County delegation, and Sen. Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, filed such legislation for the 2024 session, but it did not get heard.
–Jim Saunders, News Service of Florida
Laurel says
These people, who are worried about pronouns, need to get a life and stop wasting our time and money, suppressing others in the false name of freedom.
Go home, and leave people alone.
Jerks!
Deborah Coffey says
We’re going to have to stop calling them “Christians.” Real Christians LOVE; these are Fake Christians. LOVE was the commandment and the teaching of Christ. They do anything but….
Sherry says
Right On Laurel and Deborah! Evangelical (holier than thou) judgement, fear and hate is obvious. Jesus would never condone such thinking and actions!
Nancy N. says
It’s really creepy how obsessed some people are with policing how others identify themselves as. It’s just downright courteous to address people how they want to be, whether it’s calling Susan her nickname of Bunny, or your coworker, who was born John. by the preferred pronoun “she”. Whatever happened to common courtesy? It’s not difficult.
Skibum says
Yes! In fact, I stopped believing they were “Christians” quite awhile ago. They are nothing more than cult members of an extreme pseudo-christian hate group, falsely advertising themselves as some religious movement in order to solicit tax-free political donations.
Joe D says
What an unbelievable waste of TAXPAYERS’ money dealing with court cases surrounding this issue…
Meanwhile the local infrastructure (roads/water supply/waste water management and storm water control) is aging and crumbling from years of poor government priorities and too much/too fast building expansion. Insurance rates skyrocketing for homeowners, because flood prone areas are being tapped for new building (even since 2005 when the building regulation upgrades were more focused on wind mitigation, than flood protection). Now our “illustrious” Governor in chief, decides (rather than REALLY spend money on better storm management protections) to spend untold taxpayer dollars erasing and scrubbing the words “Climate Change” out of all Florida’s government documents. Yeah, that’ll make it all disappear ( that was SARCASM for those that missed it).
PRONOWNS!!! Who REALLY cares! For years, my Father was called “Buddy,” then “Bud,” (even by my Mother) then “Uncle Bud.” My cousins didn’t know until adulthood that his GIVEN name was “Henry.” The family cousin, who raised him after his mother died in childbirth ( leaving behind 9 children for my grandfather to raise by himself), simply liked the name “Buddy” and it stuck.
We’ve got MUCH BIGGER PROBLEMS than PRONOUNS!!!