‘Grave abuse of power’: Lawsuit filed challenging Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A lawsuit filed Thursday challenges the legality of Florida’s controversial Parental Rights in Education law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday.

Equality Florida, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP, and families in Florida filed the suit against the state of Florida over the law, referred to by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, calling it “a grave abuse of power.”

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“We are proud to stand with the families who have fought to be recognized and with the students who have demanded to be included and respected,” Equality Florida said in a statement.

The lawsuit claims the law is “an effort by the state to use its power over public schools to demean and deny the existence of people whom the Supreme Court has repeatedly held to be protected.”

READ: Central Florida officials respond to DeSantis’ signing of Parental Rights in Education bill

The suit argues the law violates the first and fourteenth amendments of the U.S. Constitution, as well as Title IX.

You can read the suit in full below:

READ: DeSantis signs bill forbidding instruction on sexual orientation, gender identity in certain grades

Gov. Ron DeSantis will hold a prearranged news conference on Wednesday morning. Channel 9 will update this story when a response to the lawsuit is received.

READ: DeSantis, Disney butt heads over Florida’s ‘Parental Rights in Education’ bill

Video: DeSantis signs bill forbidding instruction on sexual orientation, gender identity in certain grades Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Monday that forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. (Shannon Butler, WFTV.com)

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