1 of 2 | Florida settled a lawsuit Monday, over what critics dubbed the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, allowing students and teachers to discuss sexual orientation and gender identity, as long as it is not part of classroom instruction. File photo by Cristobal Herrera-Ulashkevich/EPA-EFE/
March 11 (UPI) — Florida has settled a lawsuit over what critics dubbed the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, allowing students and teachers to discuss sexual orientation and gender identity, as long as it is not part of classroom instruction.
The historic agreement was reached Monday between Florida education officials and civil rights attorneys, as both sides celebrated “a win.”
“This settlement not only reaffirms the rights of LBGTQ+ students and educators to live and speak openly, but also marks a significant step towards rectifying the damage inflicted by the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ or ‘Trans’ law,” Nadine Smith, Equality Florida’s Executive director, said in a statement.
The settlement also reinforces safeguards against bullying based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and protects LGBTQ+ student clubs. The settlement says the Parental Rights in Education Act cannot ban references to LGBTQ+ individuals, relationships or families in any educational or extracurricular context. The settlement also clarifies that the law does not apply to library books, as long as those books are not being used in the classroom.
Monday’s settlement “demonstrates our ongoing commitment to a Florida where everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, can live authentically and without fear,” Smith said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office also called the settlement a “major win” for the law, which will remain in effect as “children will be protected from radical gender and sexual ideology in the classroom.”
“We fought hard to ensure this law couldn’t be maligned in court, as it was in the public arena by the media and large corporate actors,” said Ryan Newman, an attorney for the state of Florida. “We are victorious, and Florida’s classrooms will remain a safe place under the Parental Rights in Education Act.”
The law, banning instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity through the third grade, was passed two years ago.
Last year, after publicly disagreeing with the law, Disney filed a lawsuit against DeSantis, claiming the governor led an unconstitutional political retaliation against the company by removing Disney World’s power to govern itself. In January, a judge dismissed the lawsuit, saying the complaint lacked merit.
“For nearly two years, Florida’s notorious ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law has spawned a disturbing wave of fear, anxiety and confusion. By providing much-needed clarity, this settlement represents a major victory for the many thousands of LGBTQ+ students, teachers, parents and their allies throughout Florida,” said lead counsel Roberta Kaplan.
“Today’s settlement makes clear the legitimacy of gay student groups, safeguards against hate and bullying and the ability of LGBTQ+ students and teachers to openly draw or display pictures of their partners and families,” Kaplan added.
“Simply put, the state of Florida has now made it clear that LGBTQ+ kids, parents and teachers in Florida can, in fact, say that they are gay.”
A young Florida mother was killed last year when her car’s counterfeit airbag “detonated like a grenade,” according to a lawsuit.
Destiny Byassee’s used 2020 Chevy Malibu passed through multiple conmen before its fake emergency airbags deployed in a June frontal collision, causing a blast that “shot metal and plastic shrapnel throughout” the car, her family alleges.
“Several fragments from the blast struck Ms. Byassee in the face, head, and neck, ultimately killing her,” stated the complaint, obtained by Law & Crime.
The 22-year-old “was a mother of two young children and had her entire life ahead of her,” attorney John Morgan, who is also representing the family, said in a news release.
According to the lawsuit, Byassee bought the doomed sedan from DriveTime, a national used car company, without being given a full history of the car.
The former Enterprise Rent-A-Car car was involved in a devastating September 2022 crash that caused damage that “was so significant that the vehicle should have been classified as a total loss, issued a salvage title, and removed from service,” the lawsuit alleges.
Rather than scrap the vehicle, Enterprise allegedly sold the car to DriveTime through Manheim Auctions, Inc., which bills itself as the largest wholesale automobile auction company in the world.
It was then repaired at Jumbo Automotive in Hollywood, Florida, the complaint continues, claiming that shop owner Haim Levy “purchased counterfeit and non-compliant airbag components” by a Chinese company to replace the Chevrolet factory airbag “and proceeded to install these components into the subject Chevy Malibu.”
Not only were the dangerous fake bags used, but Levy allegedly repaired the deployed seatbelt pretensioner — the part of a complete system that tightens the belt during a crash — incorrectly, but in a cunning way that made it appear to work properly.
Byassee “had no idea that the vehicle had been improperly and illegally repaired,” her family said.
Both the counterfeit airbag and faulty seatbelt pretensioner “were signaled to deploy” during the June 2023 collision, according to the lawsuit.
“However, because the subject Chevy Malibu’s front driver-side seatbelt pretensioner was inoperable, the pretensioner did not deploy as originally designed,” the lawsuit states. “Worse, because the subject Chevy Malibu’s front driver-side airbag system included counterfeit and non-compliant components, the airbag detonated like a grenade and shot metal and plastic shrapnel throughout the vehicle cabin.”
The filing pointedly said that photographs depicted the “horrifying event,” including one of the “shredded and blood-soaked front driver-side airbag.”
Cathy King, Byassee’s grandmother, filed the lawsuit on behalf of the 6- and 4-year-old children the young woman left behind, as well as her husband and mother.
Byassee “believed she was buying a safe and reliable vehicle, but our lawsuit alleges that several automotive companies worked to skirt the system by repairing what should’ve been a totaled vehicle, all just to make money,” Morgan said in the release.
“Because of that, Ms. Byassee lost her life, and her children will grow up without their mother.”
The lawsuit seeks a jury trial on 14 various counts against the various defendants – including strict liability, negligence and deceptive trade practices.
Neither Enterprise, Manheim, DriveTime nor Jumbo Automotive immediately answered The Post’s request for comment.
OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) – A former Marion County Sheriff was inducted into the Florida Law Enforcement Hall of Fame today.
Former sheriff Don Moreland got emotional giving his acceptance speech, more than fifty years after he was elected.
He was Marion County Sheriff for twenty years, from 1972 to 1992.
Once he left his post, former President Bill Clinton made him the Marshall for the Middle District of Florida.
“I am deeply honored being included in this whole thing. When you get to be 90 you really sincerely appreciate everything a little bit more,” said Don Moreland.
Moreland still holds the record for the ‘longest-serving sheriff’ in Marion County.
TRENDING: Gainesville Opportunity Center hosts its 3rd annual bike day
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