Shakespeare censored in Florida schools over Don’t Say Gay law
Teachers in a Florida county are being forced to prepare English lessons with huge cuts to William Shakespeare’s works as a result of Ron DeSantis’ expanded Don’t Say Gay law.
The Parental Rights in Education law, better known as the Don’t Say Gay law, was expanded on 31 March, 2023 to prohibit instruction on gender and sexuality up until the eighth grade, and on reproductive health until the 12th grade.
The legislation also places limits on materials which “contain pornography or obscene depictions of sexual conduct”.
Following the expansion, Hillsborough Country schools has announced it will now only teach excerpts from Shakespeare’s influential works such as Macbeth, Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet.
A school district spokeswoman Tanya Arja, told Tampa Bay Times the change had been implemented because of new state teaching standards, new state exams and because of DeSantis’ expanded law.
Students will be required to read one novel and excerpts from five to seven different books, including plays, a change from the previous requirement to read two complete plays or novels.
Should students want to read Shakespeare’s in their entirety they will have to do so in their own time, and they will remain available at school media centres.
Jospeh Cool, a reading teacher at Gaither High School, told the Tampa Bay Times that “some raunchiness in Shakespeare” was part of what made him popular.
Last year, Cool said, he enjoyed teaching Macbeth to his 10th grade students: “It gave them a sense of connection between stuff that happened in the past and things that are not necessarily in the past.”
Shakespeare’s works are full of slang and sexual innuendo, according to the Royal Shakespeare Company, including his great romance Romeo & Juliet.
Historians believe that Shakespeare was queer, and that some of his most iconic works were influenced by his attraction to men.
The Don’t Say Gay law was signed by Ron DeSantis in 2022, and originally banned discussion of LGBTQ+ identities from kindergarten through third grade, before it was expanded.
When DeSantis signed the bill, he claimed those opposing it supported “injecting woke gender ideology into second grade classrooms” and “sexualising students in kindergarten”.
It has impacted schools and students across the state. On 3 August, it was reported that Florida’s Department of Education had instructed that AP psychology classes were a violation of the law due to LGBTQ+ content.
After educators said the course would need to be axed, education commissioner Manny Diaz Jr said on 4 August that the department would allow it to be taught in an “age and developmentally appropriate” manner.