Statement on AP Psychology and Florida
Creating a safe space for individuals to learn about human sexuality and gender identity is a fundamental aspect of psychology. The School Collective stands with the American Psychological Association, the Florida Department of Education, the Florida Psychological Association, and other psychological organizations in condemning “Don’t Say Gay” rulings, including today’s ruling that the Florida College Board passed to “effectively ban” (Lavietes, 2023) Advanced Placement Psychology classes due to the course’s content on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Though the state has indicated that districts are free to teach AP Psychology if gender and sexuality topics are excluded, we at The Collective believe that this further alienates members of the LGBTQ+ community. Furthermore, the American Psychological Association (Mills, 2023) indicated that courses that exclude these topics would “violate their guidelines and should not be considered for college credit.” We live in a time of unprecedented mental health needs, and the United States currently has a shortage of mental health practitioners. Florida’s ruling is counter effective and harmful to both the people of Florida and the United States, as it is unethical to further complicate and delay the training of future mental health practitioners.
References
Lavietes, M. (2023, August 3). Florida effectively bans AP Psychology course over LGBTQ content, College Board says. NBC News. Retrieved August 3, 2023, from https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/florida-effectively-bans-ap-psychology-course-lgbtq-content-college-bo-rcna98036
Mills, K. I. (2023, June 15). APA supports College Board’s decision on AP psychology in Florida. American Psychological Association. Retrieved August 3, 2023, from https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2023/06/sexual-orientation-gender-identity-florida-high-school