Another poll has found that Americans support banning classroom conversations on sexual orientation and gender identity for children in kindergarten through third grade.
Polling conducted by POLITICO and Morning Consult found that 37% of Americans strongly support bans like Florida’s highly controversial HB 1557, which states that “classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has strongly pushed back against the liberal media, commentators, and critics who call the legislation the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
Nowhere in the legislation is the word “gay” mentioned, though the word “parent” is mentioned 32 times and the word “parental” is mentioned eight times. The legislation heavily focuses on parental notification and parental awareness of what children are being taught or exposed to in school.
The POLITICO/Morning Consult poll specifically mentions that critics call the bill “Don’t Say Gay.”
“As you may know, the Florida legislature has passed a bill – labeled by opponents as the ’Don’t Say Gay’ bill – limiting the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity to Florida school students,” the poll said. “Some say that limiting these discussions will protect children from inappropriate classroom topics, while others say it will block important conversations about LGBTQ issues.”
“To what extent do you support or oppose the following items in the bill,” asks the poll, specifically referencing the “banning the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through third grade.”
Of Americans polled, 13% said they somewhat support, 11% said they somewhat oppose, 23% said they strongly oppose, and 15% said they don’t have an opinion.
POLITICO/Morning Consult conducted the poll online between March 11-March 14, 2022 among a sample of 2005 Registered Voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
A Daily Wire poll conducted by the research technology platform Lucid and released this week fond that almost two-thirds of Americans support the key features of Florida’s H.B. 1557, “Parental Rights in Education.”
Contrary to the POLITICO/Morning Consult poll and other surveys, The Daily Wire poll presented respondents with the actual language from the Florida bill’s most criticized passage.
I'd like to draw your attention to how @realDailyWire worded its question vs. how Politico/Morning Consult did it.
DW showed the actual text of the bill.
Politico called it "Don't Say Gay" and offered political arguments.
Even then, in both, most Americans support the bill. pic.twitter.com/4tkqVyBQBn
— Giancarlo Sopo (@GiancarloSopo) March 16, 2022
“Below is a passage from a new state education law,” reads The Daily Wire poll. “Please indicate whether you support or oppose it. ‘Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through third grade or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.’”
The Daily Wire poll found that 64% of Americans support the Florida ban on sexual orientation and gender identity classroom instruction in grades K-3 (or any level if not presented in in a developmentally appropriate manner) while 21% said they oppose the bill.
Lucid conducted The Daily Wire poll online between March 12 and March 13. The poll has a margin of error of 5% with a confidence level of 95%. Daily Wire members were not polled.