Florida, May 16: A fifth-grade teacher in Florida is under investigation after she screened a Disney movie with a gay character to her students in the class. The teacher is being investigated under Florida's "Don't say gay" law, which prohibits the teaching of gender and sexual identity to school students of all ages.

CNN reported that Jenna Barbee, who teaches at Winding Waters K-8 in Brooksville originally thought the movie, “Strange World,” was appropriate for students to watch since it is rated PG. Despite the rating, school district policy states all movies must first get approval from school leadership before they can be viewed by students. US Teacher Asks Students To Write Their Own Obituaries Ahead of Active Shooter Drill, Gets Fired Hours Later.

The animated film, about a family of explorers, features a gay character, Ethan Clade, who has a crush on another male character in the movie. US Shocker: Six Female Teachers Arrested For Sexual Misconduct With Students Over Two Days.

Barbee said that she showed her students the science-fiction movie because it tied in to her class’s science lessons, and she was also looking to give her students a break after a full day of standardised testing. She added that she received signed permission slips from parents to show her students PG-rated films at the beginning of the school year.

Barbee defended her decision to show the movie, saying, "I have a lot of fifth-grade students who have come to me this year, long before showing this movie, talking about how they're part of the LGBTQ community. It's not a big deal to me. So I just said, OK, awesome, I'm not pushing anything, just being accepting. That's what I do."

The teacher also claimed that she was reported to Florida's state education department for "indoctrination" before anyone had even spoken to her. She further said that sexual orientation of the character had nothing to do with her choice of the film and that the that the investigation will traumatise her students.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 16, 2023 11:05 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).