Over 60% of Americans support DeSantis' anti-grooming law

Almost two-thirds of Americans support key features of Florida's anti-grooming law, falsely dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill by opposing Democrats and the mainstream media, according to a new Daily Wire poll released Monday.

Americans across racial, party, and age lines support the Florida proposal, the poll results indicate. More than six in 10 Americans—at 64 percent—support the Florida bill's ban on the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity in K-3 classroom across the state that is "not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate." Meanwhile, only 21 percent of those polled oppose the bill.

69 percent of Republicans, 62 percent of Democrats, and 57 percent of independents back the Florida measure. There were also no notable differences among whites (63 percent), blacks (66 percent), and Latinos (62 percent) or by age demographics, The Daily Wire reported. 68 percents of parents support the Florida legislation's regulations on statewide K-3 classroom instruction.

The national poll of US adults, conducted over the weekend by market research technology platform Lucid on behalf of The Daily Wire, included a 1,000-person sample comprised of 37 percent Democrats, 32 percent Republicans, and 31 percent independents. Consistent with the official 2020 popular vote totals, the poll showed a +4 point advantage for President Joe Biden in the 2020 ballot among the survey's respondents who said they'd voted in the presidential election.

"Unlike other surveys that have relied on a summary of the legislation written by pollsters," The Daily Wire's researchers presented the study's respondents with language from the Florida education law's most criticized passage. "Please indicate whether you support or oppose it," the survey prompted the respondents.

"Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through third grade or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards," reads the selected passage used in the prompt.

H.B. 1557 "Parental Rights in Education," spearheaded by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, has been smeared by progressive critics who label it "homophobic" despite no mention of the "Don't Say Gay" directive in the legislation's drafting.

Parents have rallied at local school board meetings in an effort to protect children from activist educators using the classroom as a soapbox for leftist causes.

Supporters of the anti-grooming bill hail it as a step towards greater parental control over education as gender identity indoctrination and critical race theory teachings have infiltrated the public education school system across America.

DeSantis press secretary Christina Pushaw said the poll's national findings are consistent with what Floridians are saying about the anti-grooming bill. "Most Floridians, no matter their orientation, agree that instruction on sexuality and gender theory is inappropriate in grades K-3," Pushaw told The Daily Wire.

Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls said in a statement to The Daily Wire that he's not surprised by the study's findings showing widespread support for the bill.

"This polling reflects what our common sense already tells us," Sprowls told The Daily Wire. "Only fanatics think the classroom curriculum from kindergarten through 3rd grade should include teaching little children about gender identity."

He said "only ideological extremists" believe schools should create gender transition plans for students and withhold critical information from parents.

Respondents were also asked: "Do you believe it is appropriate or inappropriate for teachers and school personnel to instruct children in kindergarten through 3rd grade on various sexual orientations?" A majority of Americans (65 percent), including 69 percent of parents, deem it "inappropriate" while 21 percent believe the opposite, considering the K-3 sexual orientation instruction "appropriate."

"Do you believe it is appropriate or inappropriate for teachers and school personnel to instruct children in kindergarten through 3rd grade on gender identities, such as transgenderism?" respondents were also asked.

A similar 66 percent of the survey's respondents, including 69 percent of parents, said it is "inappropriate," while 20 percent say it is "appropriate."

More than half of those polled (52 percent) believe parents should be able to pursue civil actions against school districts "if their children are taught about these topics in ways they believe are inappropriate," The Daily Wire reported.

The Daily Wire poll found that almost eight out of 10 Americans (79 percent) believe parents should be responsible for driving conversations on such topics with children, while 7 percent said teachers should be the ones addressing the issues.

When the respondents were asked whether educators should notify parents if their children identify by a different gender while in school, 60 percent of respondents answered "Yes,"  while 21 percent said "No." 20 percent were unsure. Two-thirds of parents (66 percent) back parental notifications, The Daily Wire reported.

The Daily Wire's researchers also wanted to study the impact of Democrat talking points on public perceptions of the legislative package and asked the survey's respondents, "Do you support or oppose the 'Parental Rights in Education' proposal in Florida, which some have described as the 'Don’t Say Gay' bill?"

When branded as "Don't Say Gay," 77 percent have had heard of the legislation. Among respondents familiar with the law, a plurality (42 percent) backs the measure, while 33 percent oppose it and 24 percent are unsure how to feel.

Misconceptions about the bill persist and appear to be common:

39 percent of Americans believe the Florida anti-grooming bill bans the word "gay" in Florida schools, including 45 percent of Democrats. 22 percent of Americans, and almost a third of Democrats, say the bill forces schools to "out" LGBTQ students to family members. 17 percent think the legislative proposal prohibits Florida students from saying he or she has a gay parent or relative.

Pushaw blames Democrats and legacy media outlets for the misinformation.

"Radical progressives know their agenda is unpopular with the majority of Americans. That's why they resort to telling flat-out lies — and the corporate media acts as the DNC's comms shop," Pushaw told The Daily Wire.

"The headlines falsely called HB 1557 'Don't Say Gay.' But the word 'gay' isn't even in the bill. It's about parental rights and child protection," she said.

The poll suggests that network and left-leaning cable news networks may be the primary source of misinformation about the Florida legislation.

Among the surveyed Democrats familiar with the Florida law, 47 percent were informed about it from national news networks, such as NBC, ABC, and CBS. 25 percent pointed to left-wing cable news networks like MSNBC and CNN.

According to the methodology, the survey was conducted March 12 - 13 by a Cint Group Company. It has a margin of error of 5 percent with a confidence level of 95 percent. Respondents were provided by Lucid—not a poll of Daily Wire members.

Last week, the bill passed Florida's House and Senate. It's now headed to the governor's desk for signing. DeSantis is expected to sign it soon.