Dear John,

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is actively repressing freedom of speech for those who oppose him or his viewpoints.

It seems these days, to run for President as a Republican, one must prove one’s authoritarian bona fides. At least, it sure looks like that’s how DeSantis sees it.

Whether it’s preventing teachers from discussing African American history or LGBTQ+ issues in schools, or intimidating journalists by making it much easier for politicians to sue reporters, DeSantis is working hard to curtail freedom of expression of alternative points of view.

Governor DeSantis’ attacks on the free speech rights of teachers, students, and journalists are unacceptable and must come to an end. Sign the petition to demand DeSantis stop these relentless attacks on basic American freedoms now.

DeSantis wants the legislature to redefine defamation so broadly that journalists would be placed at high risk for doing their jobs.

Even billionaire businessman Charles Koch opposes these measures,^[1] because as right wing talk radio host Trey Radel notes, “The sword cuts both ways.”^[2]

Of course, it’s not just journalists on DeSantis’ enemies list; Teachers and students are under attack, too.

Under DeSantis’ leadership, Florida’s infamous “Don’t Say Gay” law prohibits discussion of LGBTQ+ issues at school. DeSantis claims it’s just about 3rd grade kids and younger, but the purposefully vaguely worded text has forced school administrators to define “age appropriate” as any student in public school, no matter what grade.

That means a gay teacher can’t have a photo of their partner on their desk, like straight teachers can. Teachers aren’t sure if they can even teach about Stonewall or the Supreme Court decision on marriage equality. And students who identify as LGBTQ+ have seen an increase in bullying across the state.

Another Florida bill prohibits teaching race relations even in high school as “subjective indoctrination that pushes collective guilt” -- with a press release that goes so far as to invite comparison to the Holocaust.

School libraries must follow state guidelines and remove media considered “prurient” or “offensive,” but again it’s worded so vaguely that books like “Celia Cruz, Queen of Salsa,” “Crazy Horse’s Vision”, and “The Life of Rosa Parks” have each been banned in schools across the state.^[3]

A teacher who protested by posting a video of empty shelves left behind in one classroom after the purge was fired after DeSantis singled him out at a press conference.

DeSantis and his state legislature blocked a pilot AP African American studies course from the state, claiming it lacked “educational value.” When challenged by the College Board he threatened to cancel AP classes altogether.

The list goes on and on, because once you start banning ideas, it’s hard to stop.

The only way to make it stop is to stand up against it and fight back. Sign on to the campaign and demand that DeSantis respect the First Amendment rights of teachers, students, and journalists, now.

Thank you for standing up for the fundamental rights of Americans -- including the right to read books, learn all of America’s history, be LGBTQ+, and to criticize the very representatives who are trying to take those rights away.

Robert Reich
Inequality Media Civic Action

^{[1] Exclusive: Two Koch-Backed Groups Speak Out Against Ron DeSantis’s Attack on Journalists
[2] Right-Wing Media Splits From DeSantis on Press Protections
[3] These 176 Books Were Banned in Duval County, Florida}