Over the past two years, Florida has often felt like the last reliably sane state in the Union. Perhaps that is testimony only to how far Left the rest of the country seems to have fallen, but regardless of the reason, it is clear that the Sunshine State is ever increasingly becoming a final resort for those who seek political freedom and sanity.Refusing to bow to the demands of his woke opponents or an unhinged Twitter mob, stalwart governor Ron DeSantis–who has quickly achieved something of a superhero status within conservative circles–can be credited with much of the state’s resiliency against the radical leftism that has polluted so many other state governments. But in light of DeSantis’ no-holds-barred hostility towards much of the political insanity of our day, the legacy media has quickly become antagonistic towards him and what he is trying to accomplish.Just this week, Florida and DeSantis once again proved their political impregnability and the media responded, in turn, by once again proving the dishonest lengths to which it’ll go to smear those with whom they disagree.This week’s debate centered around the Florida Senate’s passage of the Parental Rights in Education bill, a law that, if signed by Governor DeSantis, would ban “classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grade levels or in a specified manner.” SEE ALSO: “Let’s Go Brandon” may have fallen out of the news cycle, but the movement behind it isn’t going anywhere It’s worth noting that this legislation, like most of what Florida provokes the ire of the far-left over, is derived purely from common sense. It is a longstanding and uncontested concept that there are certain ideas which are age-inappropriate for young children. To ban kindergarten through third grade educators from teaching a controversial topic that is sexual in nature–which is what this bill would do–is perfectly reasonable. Opponents of the legislation dubbed it the “Don’t Say Gay” bill and this misleading moniker quickly replaced the bill’s actual name. Opponents failed to mention, however, that the word “gay” does not once appear in the actual text of the bill. Nonetheless, the media almost universally adopted the “Don’t Say Gay” appellation. Time, ABC and NBC, for example, all used “Don’t Say Gay” in their headlines and yet each neglected to explain the word’s absence from the bill. Florida Senate Democrats posted a video of themselves prancing about the state capitol building, childlike, proudly chanting the word “gay.” Even famed Star Wars actor Mark Hamil chimed in, absurdly tweeting “gay” 69 times.These are just a few examples of the left’s unhinged response to what is a perfectly reasonable piece of legislation. Supporters of the Parental Rights in Education bill are not seeking to harm the “health and safety of LGBTQ+ kids,” as one opponent falsely insisted. They are simply protecting impressionable children from inappropriate content. And while that may sound like common sense, the number of people in this country who actually have the courage to stand for these issues is ever dwindling. When faced with the possibility of an unhinged mob and pugnacious media, most politicians seem to cave (take Utah’s weak-kneed governor, for example).But thank God for the unflinching outliers like Ron Desnatis and other Floridians who championed this bill, regardless of what the media said about them. Let’s pray that more state governments learn to follow their lead. Jakob Fay is a former intern and current SIA Coordinator for the Convention of States Project, a project of Citizens for Self-Governance.
