Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis finally admits failure on one of his signature anti-LGBTQ+ laws

Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis is backing down…again.

The proud culture warrior now admits Florida’s law prohibiting schools from carrying books with sexual content is too vague; and thus, too draconian. Public schools in Florida banned more than 1,000 titles last school year, far more than any other state.

The legislation also prohibits classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in Pre-K through eighth grade.

Politics, but make it gay!

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During a public appearance Thursday, DeSantis tried to walk back the ill-advised policy.

“With objecting–if you go to a school board meeting objecting. If you have a kid in school, OK. But if you’re somebody who doesn’t have a kid in school and you’re gonna object to 100 books? No, I don’t think that’s appropriate,” he said.

“I think the legislature is interested in limiting what the number of challenges you can do, and maybe making it be contingent on whether you actually have kids in school or not. We just want to make sure we’re not trying to incentivize frivolous objections or any type of games being played,” he added.

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Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis still seems to think he’s running for president

Ever since dropping out, DeSantis has seemingly been running a shadow presidential campaign.

Yes, DeSantis doesn’t want to incentivize any disingenuous actors…such as Moms for Liberty, a right-wing group that wages war on LGBTQ+ and race-inclusive books. The Florida governor once championed the organization, who’s co-founder, Bridget Ziegler, is now involved in her own bisexual sex scandal.

For years, DeSantis was more than happy to encourage right-wing vigilantes obsessed with eradicating LGBTQ+ folx from school curriculums.

But now, he’s in pure cleanup mode. “Meatball Ron” ran for president on a staunch anti-gay platform, and was walloped.

Even during the campaign, DeSantis tried to rewrite his anti-LGBTQ+ record.

Now back in the Sunshine State, DeSantis is admitting the obvious: book bans are punitive. Earlier this year, a Florida school district removed nearly 2,000 books from its shelves, including dictionaries and encyclopedias.

Not a single parent I know in Florida wants these rules. They aren’t about choice. They are taking away choice. He needs to back off.— mandalinn25 (@mandalinn25) February 15, 2024

Despite dropping out of the race before New Hampshire, DeSantis still seems to be running a shadow campaign. In recent weeks, he’s opined on an array of national topics, including the border problem.

But up until Thursday, DeSantis hasn’t been modifying his message. He’s gone right back to attacking Florida’s vibrant LGBTQ+ community.

Related:

After his failed run for president in 2024, Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis is already blowing up his chances for 2028

DeSantis is championing two new anti-LGBTQ+ proposals in Florida.

In a recent memo, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles announced it is now a crime for people to change the listed sex on their driver’s licenses or state ID to match their gender identity.

DeSantis also recently came out in a support of a proposed law that would prohibit government agencies and public schools and universities from flying flags that “represent any “politically partisan, racial, sexual orientation and gender, or political ideology viewpoint” (aka the Pride flag).

During last year’s legislative session, DeSantis signed bills that ban gender-affirming care for minors and bar transgender people from using public restrooms that correspond with their gender identities.

But if there is one positive takeaway for LGBTQ+ Florida residents, DeSantis’ hateful edicts seldom stand up to legal scrutiny. Many of his signature policy wins are under siege in court. 

Last year, judges blocked Florida’s bans on gender-affirming care for minors, using Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care and performing drag shows in certain venues.

That’s pretty embarrassing! DeSantis’ tough guy image doesn’t stand up to legal scrutiny…or a well-placed joke.

At the same event Thursday, an attendee asked the gay-hating governor how he squares his opposition to people identifying with the gender of their choosing with his desire to wear heels to identify with the height of his choosing.

The room broke out in laughter.

With subtitles: pic.twitter.com/eSNneD9nzL— Thomas Kennedy (@tomaskenn) February 15, 2024

DeSantis, who spent the latter months of his campaign fighting off footwear accusations, can’t seem to avoid the caricature.

It was probably the most memorable storyline from his futile presidential run, outside of many, many awkward public appearances.

As the heels question shows, DeSantis can’t escape the indignity of his presidential campaign, no matter how many times he tries to erase his record.