Gagging

PEN America says 'educational gag orders' have increased 250% since 2021 with focus on race and LGBTQ issues.

Similarly, no guidance is given on what “classroom discussion” actually means, and could be interpreted by teachers to mean, as the Times put it: “A student with gay parents should not talk about those families with the entire class.” The heavily criticized legislation restricts instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, while the state also passed a law which [places restrictions](https://time.com/6168753/florida-stop-woke-law/) on discussion of race and racism. Earlier this year a [NPR survey](https://www.npr.org/2022/04/29/1094782769/parent-poll-school-culture-wars) found that fewer than 20% of parents are dissatisfied with the way their children are taught about gender and sexuality, and race. [dubbed “don’t say gay”](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/28/dont-say-gay-bill-florida-ron-desantis) into law. According to PEN, 137 of the gag orders, which it defines as “state legislative efforts to restrict teaching about topics such as race, gender, American history, and LGBTQ+ identities in K–12 and higher education”, have been introduced in 36 states so far this year. A minority of the 137 educational gag order bills have been passed into law.