Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Law Has Inadvertently 'Banned' AP Psychology

by Emell Adolphus

EDGE Media Network Contributor

Friday August 4, 2023

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' very public mission to rid the Sunshine State of gays, education and any other subjects not found in the Bible seems to be finally working.

As reported by New York Magazine, the national College Board and the state's Department of Education formally made the recommendation that high schools not teach AP Psychology to avoid violating DeSantis' "Don't Say Gay" law. According to the College Board, the course addresses gender and sexual orientation as part of its nationally approved curriculum and would need to be majorly overhauled to be taught in Florida.

In effect, "the Florida Department of Education has effectively banned A.P. Psychology in the state," said the College Board in a statement.

"The American Psychological Association recently reaffirmed that any course that excludes these topics would violate their guidelines and should not be considered for college credit," the College Board further explains. "The APA has given this direct guidance to organizations that have agreed to this censorship."

Signed into law in April, Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill bans most classroom instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation in K—12 education. But with school starting soon, the Florida Department of Education claims that the College Board is "playing games with Florida students" and that the course will still be offered in the upcoming school year.

It seems the Florida Department of Education doesn't appreciate the blowback from the state's "Don't Say Gay" law but is instead choosing to cherry pick when the law is in effect and when it isn't. As the College Board emphatically proclaimed that "any AP Psychology course taught in Florida will violate Florida law or college requirements."

Around 28,000 students took the course last year, suggesting that tens of thousands of Florida teenagers are now choosing between enrolling in the compromised psychology course or opting for something else.

Advanced-placement classes are organized by the nonprofit College Board. Reportedly around 28,000 students took AP Psychology last year in Florida, which means the state's "Don't Say Gay" law could jeopardize the college educations of thousands of students.