SETBACK

Federal Judge Throws Out Lawsuit Opposing Florida’s ‘Don't Say Gay’ Bill

It's the second time in five months a federal judge has rejected a lawsuit related to the bill.

A federal judge dished another blow to those opposing Florida’s controversial “Don't Say Gay” bill on Wednesday, throwing out a lawsuit that sought to have the legislation—which restricts classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation—be deemed unconstitutional. It's the second time in five months a federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by the bill's opponents. In the latest instance, U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor said the plaintiffs—students, parents and teachers in Florida—had not “alleged sufficient facts” to show they had legal standing to challenge the law. “Plaintiffs have shown a strident disagreement with the new law, and they have alleged facts to show its very existence causes them deep hurt and disappointment,” Winsor wrote. “But to invoke a federal court’s jurisdiction, they must allege more.”