Don't Say Gay
The bill targets free speech of the LGBTQ community, to solve a problem that doesn't exist.
Florida H.B. No. 1557
The Parental Rights in Education bill, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, states that its purpose is to “prohibit classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grade levels or in a specified matter.”
The bill was signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis on March 28, 2022. Since then a similar national bill was introduced in congress to prohibit federal money from being used to teach children under 10 about LGBTQ+ issues.
Federal law prohibits discrimination and harassment against LGBTQ+ Staff and Students. That means that a school district may not prohibit LGBTQ+ educators from answering students’ questions about their families, may not prohibit recognition and discussion in class only of LGBTQ+ families, and may not require that LGBTQ+ students hide their sexual orientation or gender identity at school.
Public and Private school employees are protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination against employees based on sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Employers cannot harass employees based on their LGBTQ+ status or allow others to create a hostile work environment.
“Kids should be educated, not indoctrinated”
- Governor Ron DeSantis
Bill was signed by Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, a catholic, conservative republican. DeSantis’s social policy agenda appears to be directly influenced by hardline Catholic ideologies. In Florida, DeSantis is successfully imposing Catholic structures on reproductive and transgender healthcare.
Ron DeSantis is considered to have the second worst LGBTQ+ reputation of any governor, behind Texas governor Greg Abbot. DeSantis often uses his OWN religious beliefs to write and sign bills into law, as he did with the Don’t Say Gay bill.
Different religions have different beliefs on when life starts.
The bill targets free speech of the LGBTQ community, to solve a problem that doesn't exist
The bill prohibits LGBTQ+ educators from discussing their family status as well as prohibits children of same sex marriages from discussing their families. It allows parents to raise “concerns and complaints” about compliance with the law. If their concerns are not resolved they may open an investigation with the Florida department of education or sue in court.