What to know about a settlement that clarifies what’s legal under Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law

By JEFF McMILLAN, ANDREW DeMILLO and GEOFF MULVIHILL
Associated Press

Florida’s state government and LGBTQ+ advocates have settled a lawsuit challenging a law that bars teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools. Under the deal, the 2022 law often derided as “Don’t Say Gay” remains in place. But the resolution clarifies that it applies only to instruction. Therefore, books with LGBTQ+ characters don’t have to be removed from school libraries and teachers can designate their classrooms as LGBTQ+ safe spaces. It remains to be seen whether the deal might touch off changes to enforcement of similar laws adopted recently in other states.