Florida ban on teaching sex, gender effectively bars AP Psychology courses

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- The board that administers advanced placement courses for Florida on Thursday advised educators in the state to not teach its psychology courses because state law now makes it illegal to instruct about sexual orientation or gender identity.

Though the Florida Department of Education has approved AP courses if they exclude these topics, the College Board called the subjects "essential" foundational content that have been part of AP Psychology instruction for three decades.

The Florida Department of Education has banned advanced placement, college preparatory psychology courses from teaching about gender identity and sexual orientation amid Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' culture wars.

The College Board said Florida officials took issue with how the AP Psychology course asked students to describe how sex and gender influence socialization and other aspects of development, a topic that has been covered in classrooms since the curriculum was launched 30 years ago.

"We cannot modify AP Psychology in response to regulations that would censor college-level standards for credit, placement, and career readiness. Our policy remains unchanged," the College Board said.

The organization said Florida officials cannot offer a modified version of its curriculum cutting out sexual and gender topics because that would violate state law.

If the content is censored, it cannot be labeled "AP" or "Advanced Placement" and the "AP Psychology" designation cannot be awarded on student transcripts.

"We advise Florida districts not to offer AP Psychology until Florida reverses their decision and allows parents and students to choose to take the full course," the College Board said.

The American Psychological Association, the professional organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for accrediting university psychology programs, recently affirmed the College Board's decision not to modify its course content at Florida's whim.

"Understanding human sexuality is fundamental to psychology, and an advanced placement course that excludes the decades of science studying sexual orientation and gender identity would deprive students of knowledge they will need to succeed in their studies, in high school and beyond," APA CEO Arthur Evans Jr. said in June.

"We applaud the College Board for standing up to the state of Florida and its unconscionable demand."

Evans added that the Florida law is just another attempt by the DeSantis administration to "erase LGBTQ+ people from public view based on biased thinking and irrational fear."

In a letter earlier this year, the APA said the study of gender identity and sexual orientation is required in psychology courses because they are important topics in the field of developmental psychology.

That letter was sent to representatives from rival honors curriculums Cambridge AICE and International Baccalaureate -- who the College Board's committee for the development of the AP Psychology challenged to identify the experts whom they consulted prior to deciding to agree to Florida's demands.

"There is robust scientific literature on gender identity and sexual orientation. Excluding discussion of this content not only deprives students of an understanding of the breadth of psychological science, it prevents them from understanding human development and identity," the APA letter reads.

The APA added in its letter that Florida particularly should worry about the ongoing mental health crisis affecting young people instead of limiting education in the field of psychology.