Last week, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis struck a blow to freedom of speech protections in his state in the latest salvo in the culture war: a new law to combat woke education.

DeSantis stood on a stage filled with children holding anti-critical race theory signs to sign the Stop WOKE Act , which passed the state legislature last month.

The new law, formally named the Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees Act, restricts school teachers, university professors and employers who are providing education or training that may make people feel discomfort or guilt about their race, gender or sexuality.

The law is purposefully vague and confusing. But its obviously aimed at educators teaching students about race and history and at employers implementing diversity, equality and inclusion training.

The bill prohibits instruction that suggests that individuals should feel guilt, anguish, or other forms of psychological distress because of actions committed in the past by other members of the same race.

The bill also bans schools and workplaces from teaching that anyone is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously, or privileged or oppressed determined by his or her race, color, sex, or national origin.

Theres an obvious target audience here: white people. DeSantis has spent considerable time railing against critical race theory, an academic theory that Republicans have misconstrued to mean teaching about race and history. The phrasing implies that white people could sue or punish others for teaching about Americas racial history, simply because it makes them feel guilty to be the same race as the oppressors.

But how does Florida or private citizens plan on enforcing a law that relies on vague wording about race and gender?

I think were all as confused as you are, Jerry Edwards, a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, told HuffPost. Thats very much the point of the law.

DeSantis, who is considered a Republican presidential favorite for 2024, has gone scorched-earth in his fight against marginalized people. Along with fear-mongering about critical race theory, he recently signed legislation that prohibits talking about gender or sexuality at public schools called the Dont Say Gay law by its critics and another bill that targets Disney World for speaking out against the anti-LGBTQ measure.

What the governor, what the legislature is trying to do is win a culture war, said Jesse Wilkison, an attorney with the law firm that helped plaintiffs sue Florida over the Stop WOKE law .