TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A bill moving through the Florida Senate would prohibit “adverse personnel action” against public-sector employees or contractors who choose to not use a person’s preferred pronouns.
SB 1642 calls gender ideology a false belief and seeks to define “adverse personnel action” within the context as the unlawful “discharge, suspension, transfer, demotion, or lack of promotion” of an employee or contractor because of their “sincerely held religious, moral, conscience-based, or biology-based beliefs against gender ideology.”
The bill would apply to employees or contractors of the state or any county, municipality, special district, agency, or subdivision thereof. It also requires state job applications and similar employment forms to list only two gender options, eliminating any nonbinary choice.
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The measure, sponsored by State Sen. Stan McClain, R-Ocala, passed its first senate committee this week on a 6-3 vote.
“It does prohibit government employers from imposing specific pronoun usage. Employees shouldn’t be forced to choose between their conscience and their jobs. Taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to fund discrimination against people,” McClain said.
Opponents say it’s not that simple.
“You can’t tell racist jokes and make someone feel uncomfortable, without, hopefully, an employer taking corrective action or firing you. So, why should it apply to jokes about sexual orientation or refusal to use a pronoun that someone prefers?” said state Sen. Tina Polsky, D- Boca Raton.
The bill must clear the Judiciary and Rules committees before being heard by the full Senate.
It would go into effect July 1, 2026, if signed by the governor.
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