The Association of University Presses joins the American Historical Association in condemning the Florida Department of Education’s recent ruling aimed at banning classroom instruction to students in grades 4 through 12 that acknowledges “sexual orientation or gender identity.” This radical and vaguely written ruling represents another overreach of state government into the classroom, one that will diminish understanding of LGBTQ+ people as well as of gender throughout history.
In keeping with our Association’s core values of intellectual freedom and diversity and inclusion, we join in asking the department instead to encourage teaching accurate and inclusive histories of the United States and the world—histories that our member presses are proud to publish and look forward to helping the next generation of scholars to advance.