[1][2] After passing both chambers of the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature along party lines, it was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis on April 22, 2022, and entered into effect on July 1.

[5] Governor DeSantis also signed the bill into Florida law with the intention that it will eliminate feelings of "guilt" and "shame"[6] from students who based on their race and gender.

Adam Steinbaugh, an attorney for Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, which joined others in one of the legal challenges, said, "You don’t get to replace one orthodoxy with another, and you’re not going to get to freedom of speech through censorship."

U.S. district judge Mark E. Walker declared parts of the law relating to workplace diversity training unconstitutional in August 2022, and in November he issued a temporary injunction preventing the law from being enforced in higher education.

On appeal, the Eleventh Circuit upheld the district court decision in March 2024, ruling that the law would violate businesses' First Amendment rights.