Florida Governor Ron DeSantis administration is moving to ban classroom education on sexual orientation and gender identity in all classes, expanding the controversial law critics call Don’t Say Gay as the Republican governor continues to focus on cultural issues ahead of his anticipated presidential run.

The proposal, which does not require regulatory approval, is scheduled for a vote next month for the

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Tate Board of Education and is proposed by the State Department of Education, both of which are directed by DeSantis appointees.

The rule change would ban sexual orientation and gender identity classes from grades 4 to 12 unless required by existing state standards or as part of reproductive health instruction that students can choose not to take. The initial law DeSantis championed last spring bans those classes in kindergarten through third grade. The change was first reported by the Orlando Sentinel.

DeSantis has focused on diverse cultural issues on his way to an expected bid for the White House, with the Republican aggressively pursuing an agenda centered on what he calls the insertion of inappropriate subjects in schools.

Spokesmen for the governor’s office and education department did not immediately return an emailed request for comment.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre condemned the proposal, saying it is wrong; it’s completely, completely wrong. She called it part of a disturbing and dangerous trend that was taking shape across the country to target LGBTQ people.

Last year’s parental rights in education bill drew backlash nationally, with critics saying it marginalizes LGBTQ people and their presence in society. President Biden called it hateful.

DeSantis and other Republicans have repeatedly argued that the measure is reasonable and that parents, not teachers, should address issues such as sexual orientation and gender identity with their children.

Critics of the law say that classroom language lessons, age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate, are too broad and subject to interpretation. Consequently, teachers might choose to avoid the subjects entirely for fear of being Southern, they say.

The law also started a feud between the state and Walt Disney Co., one of the state’s largest employers and political donors, after the entertainment giant publicly opposed the law, saying it was cutting political donations in the state.

At the governor’s request, the Republican-dominated legislature voted to dissolve a self-governing district controlled by Disney World over its Florida properties, eventually giving DeSantis control of the board. The move was widely seen as a punishment for the company against the law. The board oversees municipal services at Disney’s theme parks and was instrumental in the company’s decision to build near Orlando in the 1960s.

Disney is hosting a major conference on LGBTQ workplace representation later this year with the group Out & Equal, which will be long overdue

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permanent relationship with the organization.

DeSantis has faced calls from at least one Republican presidential candidate to go even further than the existing law, with the former South Carolina governor. Nikki Haley said last month the ban could be stricter and extended to later classes.

This year’s proposed rule change also signals the governor’s willingness to bypass even the docile GOP-led state

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using legislatures and state governments instead to further his high-profile political goals. Late last year, at DeSantis’ urging, the state’s medical boards voted to ban children from receiving hormones or undergoing surgeries to treat gender dysphoria.

Everything he does is about what can further his own career aspirations, said Brandon Wolf, press secretary for the LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Florida. And it is clear that he sees it

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the anti-LGBTQ movement as his vehicle to get him where he wants to go.