Did Florida Really Ban Teachers From Using Trans Kids’ Pronouns?

Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

So, Florida. I am feeling really sorry for decent Floridians who care about their state and either don’t want to leave it or simply can’t.

What’s circulating is that either Florida has banned teachers from using pronouns that don’t correspond to a student’s genitals, or is not requiring them.

So I decided to take a look at the actual text of HB 1069. And it’s…well, it’s clearly aimed not at trans children this time, but at trans teachers.

What Does The Bill Actually Do?

So, here is what the bill actually prohibits:

1. Requiring school personnel to use a student’s “preferred” pronouns. In other words, teachers can’t be disciplined for misgendering students.
2. Banning trans teachers from providing their pronouns if they differ from biological sex. In other words, a fully transitioned teacher has to misgender themselves. The goal of this is clearly to drive trans people out of teaching or out of the state. Somebody who passes using their assigned sex…that’s not going to confuse kids?
3. Teachers are not allowed to ask a student what their “preferred” pronouns are. (I’m air quoting here because I hate the term preferred pronouns. A preference isn’t a requirement).