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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law on Monday that forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, a policy that has drawn intense national scrutiny from critics who argue it marginalizes LGBTQ people.

The legislation has pushed Florida and Mr. DeSantis, an ascending Republican and potential 2024 presidential candidate, to the forefront of the country鈥檚 culture wars. LGBTQ advocates, students, Democrats, the entertainment industry, and the White House have dubbed the measure the 鈥淒on鈥檛 Say Gay鈥� law.

Mr. DeSantis and other Republicans have repeatedly said the measure is reasonable and that parents, not teachers, should be broaching subjects of sexual orientation and gender identity with their children. The law went into effect just days after Mr. DeSantis signed a separate bill that potentially restricts what books elementary schools can keep in their libraries or use for instruction.

鈥淲e will make sure that parents can send their kids to school to get an education, not an indoctrination,鈥� Mr. DeSantis said to applause before he signed the sexual orientation and gender identity measure during a ceremony at a preparatory school outside Tampa.

The law states: 鈥淐lassroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.鈥� Parents would be able to sue districts over violations.

Public backlash began almost immediately after the bill was introduced, with early criticism lobbed by Chasten Buttigieg, the husband of United States Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and condemnation from LGBTQ advocacy groups. Democratic President Joe Biden called it 鈥渉ateful.鈥�

As the bill moved through the legislature, celebrities mobilized against it on social media, and criticized it at this year鈥檚 Academy Awards. Florida students staged walkouts and packed into committee rooms and statehouse halls to protest the measure, often with booming chants of 鈥淲e say gay!鈥�

The Walt Disney Company, a powerful player in Florida politics, suspended its political donations in the state, and LGBTQ advocates who work for the company criticized CEO Bob Chapek for what they said was his slow response speaking out against the bill. Some walked off the job in protest.

After Mr. DeSantis signed the measure, Disney released a statement saying, 鈥淥ur goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that.鈥�

Throughout debate in the GOP-controlled statehouse, Democrats have said the law鈥檚 language, particularly the phrases 鈥渃lassroom instruction鈥� and 鈥渁ge appropriate,鈥� could be interpreted so broadly that discussion in any grade could trigger lawsuits and create a classroom atmosphere where teachers would avoid the subjects entirely.

鈥淭he bill鈥檚 intentionally vague language leaves teachers afraid to talk to their students and opens up school districts to costly and frivolous litigation from those seeking to exclude LGBTQ people from any grade level,鈥� said state Rep. Carlos G. Smith, a Democrat who is gay. 鈥淓ven worse, #DontSayGay sends a hateful message to our most vulnerable youth who simply need our support.鈥�

Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association, said the law amounts to a political wedge issue for Republicans because elementary schools, especially in kindergarten through third grade, do not teach about these subjects and have state curriculum standards guiding classroom lessons.

鈥淭his bill is based on a falsehood, and that falsehood is that somehow we鈥檙e teaching kids inappropriate topics at an early age, and clearly we鈥檙e not,鈥� Mr. Spar said.

The law鈥檚 sponsor, Republican Rep. Joe Harding, has said it would not bar spontaneous discussions about sexual orientation or gender identity in schools but would prevent districts from integrating the subjects into official curriculum. During the bill鈥檚 early stages, Mr. Harding sought to require schools to inform parents if a student came out as LGBTQ to a teacher. He withdrew the amendment after it picked up attention online.

鈥淣othing in the amendment was about outing a student. Rather than battle misinformation related to the amendment, I decided to focus on the primary bill that empowers parents to be engaged in their children鈥檚 lives,鈥� he said in a statement.

Mr. DeSantis signed the bill after a news conference held at the Classical Preparatory School in Spring Hill, about 46 miles north of Tampa. At the ceremony, several young children accompanied Mr. DeSantis and other politicians near the podium, with some holding signs bearing the governor鈥檚 鈥淧rotect Children/Support Parents鈥� slogan. Mr. DeSantis gave the children the pens he used to sign the bill.

The White House, which has sparred with the DeSantis administration over a range of policies, has issued statements against the law.

鈥淢y Administration will continue to fight for dignity and opportunity for every student and family 鈥� in Florida and around the country,鈥� Mr. Biden tweeted Monday.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona recently held a call with LGBTQ students in Florida and said in a statement issued Monday that his agency 鈥渨ill be monitoring this law upon implementation to evaluate whether it violates federal civil rights law.鈥�

For teachers in Florida, the law has caused some confusion over what is allowed in the classroom as well as concerns over frivolous lawsuits, said Michael Woods, a special education teacher in Palm Beach County with about three decades of experience.

鈥淔rom the start, I thought it was a solution in search of a problem, and the sad part about it is, I think it鈥檚 going to have a chilling effect on making sure that young people, students have a safe learning environment,鈥� he said.

This story was reported by The Associated Press.