Florida Governor Ron DeSantis just made the lives of LGBTQ+ kids much harder with his push for the “Parental Rights in Education” bill. If you didn’t know, the Florida Senate Education Committee just advanced legislation that critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. This Legislation States that “classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through [third grade]” or “in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards” in other grades. The bill does not go on to define what would be considered “age-appropriate” or “developmentally appropriate”.
Furthermore, it explicitely states that parents can sue schools for violating the law and by not telling them about “critical decisions affecting a student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or wellbeing.” So, the court can award damages and even attorney’s fees if they have proven that a school has violated the measure. Once again, they do not go into specifics as to what this all means.
The lawmaker who proposed this stated that this was meant to keep the topics out of the curriculum, not out of general classroom conversation. But, as pointed out by Senator Shev Jones the bill does not even mention school curriculums. Although there are several obvious loopholes and issues, the bill was passed by Florida’s House of Representatives on February 24. On March 8th, the state senate voted to pass the bill by a vote of 22-17 with two republicans siding with democrats against this bill.
It is expected for Governor Ron DeSantis to sign the bill as he has publicly supported it. In one interview he had said “How many parents want their kindergarteners to have ‘transgenderism’ or something injected into classroom discussion? We’re going to make sure that parents are able to send their children to kindergarten without having some of this stuff injected into their curriculum.”
While conservatives have argued that this legislation is about parental rights, democrats and advocacy groups havecondemned this bill as they deemed it as clear discrimination against LGBTQ+ youth. Schools have been a vital support system for LGBTQ+ youth. One study conducted by the Trevor Project of 82,000 youth participants found that 30% considered their home LGBTQ-affirming, while 50% considered their school tobe more accepting. Even President Joe Biden had chimed in tweeting “I want every member of the LGBTQI+ community — especially the kids who will be impacted by this hateful bill — to know that you are loved and accepted just as you are. I have your back, and my Administration will continue to fight for the protections and safety you deserve.” Over the last few weeks, hundreds of students across Florida have staged walkouts, especially after the bill had been passed by Florida’s senate.
It is important to note that this isn’t an isolated event that only occurs in Florida. There are several similar proposals that have been floating around in states like Tennessee, Kansas, Indiana, and Oklahoma which restrict LGBTQ+ topics, identities, issues, and history being taught in schools.
By: Krissie Cruz
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