(The Center Square) — The Florida House has passed several measures that members say would protect children from being subjected to adult sexuality, gender reassignment procedures and medications.
House Speaker Paul Renner, R- Palm Coast, said in a news release that lawmakers are obligated to protect the public, especially children.
“Government’s primary obligation is ensuring public safety, especially that of our children,” Renner said. “I am proud of the bills passed today by our members to make our communities safer and protect our children from being sexualized.”
House Bill 1521 is sponsored by Rep. Rachel Plakon, R-Longwood, and is known as the Safety in Private Spaces Act. It would require public and private businesses or entities that maintain a changing room and/or restroom, to separately designate those facilities for males, females or unisex use.
Persons of the opposite sex will have limited access to changing facilities unless they are the parent of a minor child, law enforcement or emergency services. A person over the age of 18 that willfully enters a changing facility of the opposite sex could be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor if they do not immediately leave upon request.
HB 1421 is sponsored by state Reps. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, and Ralph Massullo, R-Inverness, address gender clinical interventions and authorize the Florida courts to enter, stay, or modify child custody determinations under specified circumstances.
The bill would prohibit a person or entity from seeking gender clinical interventions for minors and gives certain persons the right to refuse such interventions. Changing a baby’s biological sex on their birth certificate would also prohibited and health insurance providers are prohibited from providing coverage for gender clinical interventions.
Florida courts would also be granted temporary emergency jurisdiction over a child present in the Sunshine State if the child has been threatened with or subjected to sex-reassignment procedures or is forced to take hormone therapies for sex-reassignment purposes.
Included in Speaker Renner’s news release was a comment from bill co-sponsor Fine, who said children are being groomed and manipulated and the new legislation would put a stop to it.
“We will protect our children from castrating drugs and permanent mutilation posing as health care,” Fine said. “The grooming of Florida’s children can lead them to make an irreversible decision before they reach the age of consent. That is wrong, and this law will end that practice.”
Senate Bill 1438 is sponsored by state Sen. Clay Yarborough, R- Jacksonville. It has passed the House and is now with the state Senate for enrolling. The bill would prohibit a person from knowingly taking a minor child to an adult live performance that includes or depicts sexual conduct, nudity, or sexual activities. Violating this could carry a first-degree misdemeanor penalty with up to 1 year in prison and a fine not exceeding $1000.
Restaurant and bar owners could have their respective licenses revoked if they are found to have knowingly admitted a child under the age of 18 into their establishment to watch an adult live performance. Other penalties include a $5,000 fine for the first offense, and a $10,000 fine for every offense thereafter.
This article First appeared in the center square