GOP presidential contender and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has a reputation for standing up for himself and what he believes in, and he did so again on the campaign trail Friday.
During an event in South Carolina, DeSantis smacked down a heckler who called him a “fascist” when he was discussing standing up for parental rights.
“We’re not going to let them impose an agenda on our kids, we’re going to stand up for our kids,” DeSantis said in response to the heckler. “We’re gonna make sure to do it right. That’s what we’re gonna do!”
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The GOP governor made headlines in March 2022 when he signed legislation aimed at safeguarding parental rights in the state. The legislation resulted in a dispute with Disney as the entertainment conglomerate expressed its opposition to the law.
“Parents have a fundamental right to direct the education and upbringing of their children,” DeSantis said shortly before the heckler interrupted the speech. “The school systems are important, but they’re there to support the community.”
“They’re not there to supersede the rights of parents and what they think is appropriate, and so we’ve enacted protections for parents such as curriculum transparency, so that they have a right to know what books are being used and what curriculum is being taught to their kids,” DeSantis continued.
After he signed the bill, Florida schools pulled several books on the grounds they had explicit and age-inappropriate content, including “Gender Queer,” “Let’s Talk About It,” and “It’s Perfectly Normal.”
“Unfortunately, there’s bad stuff that’s getting into the schools,” DeSantis said. “There’s pornography that’s getting in the schools, so the parents had to blow the whistle in Florida.”