‘Satanist’ educator attacks Florida guidance on bathrooms, pronouns: ‘I’m society’s worst nightmare’
By Kristina Watrobski
On July 20, 2023
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (CITC) —
The Florida State Board of Education (SBE) took heat from a self-described “satanist” educator Wednesday for approving new guidelines that will, among other things, help lay out consequences for school employees who do not comply with state laws pertaining to students’ gender identities.
Florida students and school employees must now use facilities, such as restrooms, based on their biological sex, and school employees are required to refer to students using pronouns that match their biological sex.
An amendment passed Wednesday requires schools districts to update their individual codes of conduct to note disciplinary procedures for staff who do not adhere to the protocols.
One meeting attendee has gained attention on social media for expressing opposition to the new guidelines.
“…I’m society’s worst nightmare,” the attendee told SBE board members Wednesday. “I use they/them pronouns, I’m a satanist and I’m an educator.”
It is not immediately clear if the educator teaches at a Florida public school. However, they said they were attending Wednesday’s meeting for “the people here who actually care about the future of our generations.”
The educator shared that children living in their neighborhood frequently “knock on my door and ask me to go outside and play with them.”
“They know I’m gay. They used it as a slur word, and I asked them what was wrong with it. They took a moment of thought, and they said, ‘nothing,’ and then they said, ‘stop being annoying,'” the educator said. “And it was as easy as that.”
“You can change all your rules and try to prevent us from being in school,” the educator continued. “But people like me will always be here to educate them….You will never erase us.”
Others at the meeting voiced support for the new guidelines, saying they will help protect the rights of both students and parents in Florida.
“Teaching kids about the ideologies of a sexual nature, regardless of what they are, really has no place in a classroom, aside from the basic reproductive health,” one mom said.
The SBE also approved new standards for covering African American history Wednesday, following the state receiving nationwide backlash for rejecting an Advancement Placement (AP) African American Studies course earlier this year.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis applauded the impending guidelines at a presidential campaign stop in South Carolina earlier this week. DeSantis has placed on emphasis on education since entering office in 2019, particularly through expanding parental rights and school choice options.
This piece was republished News 3LV.