DeSantis: 'Our rights come from God, not government'

Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis once again defended the Sunshine State’s new Parental Rights in Education law on Tuesday, reminding critics that, “Our rights come from God, not government.”

"Our rights come from God, not government." - @GovRonDeSantis pic.twitter.com/2eeVaOp0z2

— Christina Pushaw 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) April 5, 2022

The governor’s remarks were made in Hamilton County after announcing that the state was awarding the county with more than $5.4 million towards the construction of a new business area to increase local manufacturing opportunities, the Daily Wire reported.

Ever since DeSantis announced House Bill 1557 last month, critics have dubbed the measure as the “Don’t Say Gay bill,” a move which conservatives have blasted as misleading and intellectually dishonest.

According to the bill’s text, the legislation would serve to “reinforce the fundamental right of parents to make decisions regarding the upbringing and control of their children” by prohibiting schools from enacting policies that prevent the disclosure to parents of “critical decisions affecting a student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being.”

Furthermore, the bill prohibits “classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity” in kindergarten through third grade.

Instead, DeSantis said, schools should focus on improving core-education for students, including reading, math and civics.

“We need to be focusing on teaching kids to read and to write and math and science and understanding American history, and having civics so that they understand the Constitution and they understand that our rights come from God, not from government,” the governor said.

According to a recent poll from the Daily Wire, 64% of Americans support support DeSantis’ ban on classroom instructions on sexual orientation and gender identity in grade K-3. Similarly, a majority of those polled said no student should be exposed to such materials unless it is presented in an age or developmentally appropriate manner.