Ben Reihanian S2B5 - Florida's "Don't Say Gay" Bill

 Florida's "Don't Say Gay" Bill


House Republicans in Florida approved a bill banning discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools on Tuesday, defying Democratic objections that the legislation demonizes LGBTQ people. After GOP lawmakers rejected a series of Democratic amendments on Tuesday, the bill, called the "Don't Say Gay" bill by opponents, is now poised for a final vote in the House on Thursday. The proposal has sparked widespread debate and has become one of the most recent battlegrounds between the White House and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running for reelection and is generally seen as a potential presidential candidate in 2024.

Yesterday, the original Florida House sponsor of the "Don't Say Gay" bill, Rep. Joe Harding, abruptly dropped an amendment requiring school principals to inform parents of a child's sexual orientation within six weeks if they discover a student has come out as anything other than heterosexual. "The exaggeration and misrepresentation in reporting about the amendment was a distraction," the state representative said in a statement. "All the amendment did was create procedures around how, when, and how long information was withheld from parents so that there was a clear process and kids knew what to expect." "Nothing 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’s lives,” he added. 

The underlying bill still tries to regulate sexual orientation and gender identity talks in schools and would give parents the power to sue violators.

This bill is a clear violation of the separation of church and state, (religion is where most reservations against the LGBTQ come from), as well as a violation of freedom of speech granted by the government. The bill would create only further separation and distaste throughout our state and we’d be ridiculed (even more than we already are) as the “newer Texas”. 

What are your opinions on the bill?


Comments

  1. AnonymousFeb 27, 2022, 9:41:00 PM

    It is so crazy that people can think like this. It is not cool for people to be invalidated because of their sexual orientation or how they identify. This bill is a big step in the wrong direction.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMar 1, 2022, 8:16:00 PM

    I think this is scary that this bill was even considered and approved! I believe this will be very detrimental to many LGBTQ+ kids who are unsure and unconfident in themselves.

    ReplyDelete

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