Vox Sentences - “Don’t Say Gay” until college

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pushes “Don’t Say Gay” bill expansion through all grades; Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi gets two years in jail for defaming Narendra Modi.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

“Don’t Say Gay” could expand in Florida schools

Pedro Portal/El Nuevo Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s administration is pushing a plan that would ban classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools. [Orlando Sentinel / Leslie Postal]
• The proposal expands last year’s Parental Rights in Education law, better know as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, through the 12th grade, with exceptions for state education standards and optional reproductive health courses. [Associated Press / Anthony Izaguirre]
• Currently the law bans such sexual orientation and gender topics from kindergarten through third grade. [BBC / Brandon Drenon]
• The measure is the latest in a series of Florida Republican anti-LGBTQ bills; DeSantis is waging war on cultural issues ahead of a potential presidential run in 2024. [Axios / Sareen Habeshian]
• Florida’s Board of Education will vote next month on the measure, which doesn’t require legislative approval to become law. [The Hill / Stephen Neukam]
• Meanwhile, the Florida House is weighing a bill that would limit sex education in schools to students above sixth grade, and require narrow instruction on sex and “reproductive roles.” [Washington Post / Timothy Bella]

📍 If you read just one story

Vox’s Ian Millhiser explains the constitutional issues in enforcing Florida’s vague “Don’t Say Gay” bill. [Vox / Ian Millhiser]

Two years in prison for defaming Modi

• An Indian court sentenced opposition leader Rahul Gandhi to two years in prison for criminal defamation over comments about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. [Reuters / Sumit Khanna and Arpan Chaturvedi]
• A lawmaker from Modi’s BJP party, also surnamed Modi, brought the case after Gandhi asked: “Why do all these thieves have Modi as their surname?” at a 2019 rally. [BBC / Cherylann Mollan and Soutik Biswas]
• The court found Gandhi’s remarks defamed the prime minister and everyone with the Modi surname. Gandhi denies the claims and plans to appeal the decision. [Guardian / Amrit Dhillon]
• Gandhi, a descendant of the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, is a leader in India’s Congress party. If he wins his appeal, he could face Modi in the 2024 elections. [Washington Post / Gerry Shih]

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Thursday, Congress grilled TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew over concerns the popular app is sharing American user data with China. [Vox / Sara Morrison]

• The WHO is urging African governments to bolster their prevention efforts after cases of the deadly Marburg virus were reported in Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea. [Financial Times / Donato Paolo Mancini and Andres Schipani]
• Denver police on Wednesday found the body of a 17-year-old suspected of shooting and wounding school administrators. [Reuters / Keith Coffman]
• A rare tornado hit southeast Los Angeles Wednesday amid extreme weather in California. However, experts don’t expect climate change will lead to more tornadoes. [Vox / Li Zhou]

“Everything he does is about what can further his own career ambitions. And it’s clear he sees the anti-LGBTQ movement as his vehicle to get him where he wants to go.”

[Brandon Wolf, press secretary for LGBTQ group Equality Florida, on Gov. Ron DeSantis / AP]

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