Democrat Tom Suozzi (New York) said Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act is “sensible,” in stark contrast to statements from many lawmakers in his party who have criticized the legislation in recent weeks.
During Thursday radio interview in an interview with WABC, Suozzi explained that he thought “not trying to get kids in kindergarten to talk about sex is a very sensible law.”
“I wish it wasn’t such a scorching topic where people are just attacking each other. It’s just common sense,” he said. “I’m definitely a supporter of equal rights, I’m definitely a supporter of treating gay people fairly and treating them like the human beings that they are.”
The Florida bill, signed late last month by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), prohibits teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in grades kindergarten through third grade and limits age-appropriate discussions about sexuality in other classrooms.
Dubbed the “Don’t Tell the Gays” bill by critics even though it makes no mention of banning the word, HB 1557 also allows parents access to their children’s educational and health records and requires schools to notify parents of changes in their child’s mental state, a good thing physical or emotional well-being. The bill exempts schools from disclosing information to parents if a “reasonably prudent person” would fear that doing so would result in abuse, abandonment or neglect.
Since then, other states, including Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee and Ohio, have introduced legislation that mirrors Florida’s parenting laws.
Suozzi, who is running for governor of New York, sent a statement to WABC reiterating his support for the Florida legislation, calling it “reasonable” and “common sense.”
“I want to be clear, as I said on the radio, I fully support LGBTQ and equal rights,” he said. “I absolutely do not support the Governor of Florida on most of the policies he supports. However, I believe it is reasonable for children in kindergarten and first grade not to learn about their sexual orientation in school… It may not be a politically correct position, but it certainly seems like common sense to me.”
This comes as other Democrats in New York, Florida and across the country have sharply criticized the legislation.
In February, New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) published a post tweet calling the bill “hateful, discriminatory and dangerous.”
In early March, Democrats in the Florida Senate protested the bill by repeatedly shouting “Gay!” while walking through the state capitol building.
The entertainment industry has also complained to Florida Republicans about the Parental Rights Act.
Oscars co-hosts Wanda Syke, Amy Schumer and Regina Hall started chanting “gay” over and over again during the opening monologue awards show last month.
And Disney released it statement March 28 condemning Florida legislation.
The company said in a statement that the bill “should never have been passed and should never have been signed into law” and that Disney’s goal “is to have this bill repealed by the Legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the organization national and state agencies working to achieve this goal.”
“We are committed to defending the rights and safety of Disney LGBTQ+ family members, as well as the LGBTQ+ community in Florida and across the country,” Disney said in a statement.
