Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill Sent to Gov. DeSantis for Signature; Lawmakers Passed Bill Despite Critics

On Tuesday, Florida lawmakers passed the bill known among critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill that restricts speech in public school classrooms on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The bill was introduced by a lawmaker who was concerned that children were being “trendy” in coming out as gay. 

The legislation — titled “Parental Rights in Education” (HB 1557) is now on its way to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has suggested he will sign it into law.

If that happens, it will go into effect July 1,

The bill garnered a lot of national attention, including newspapers, Hollywood entertainers, and the White House but that didn’t stop the 22-17 vote in favor of it.

What has caused a lot of controversy among the two sides, is a section of the bill that prohibits public school teachers from giving “instruction” about sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through 3rd grade —although it’s currently not taught in those grades. It also limits it to “age-appropriate” in other grades, USA Today reported.

One thing to note is that the bill doesn’t give a bright line between “classroom instruction” and “classroom discussion,” which supporters of the bill say it won’t prevent. 

The proposal also prohibits schools from withholding information from parents when it comes to a student’s “mental, emotional or physical health.” And parents will be able to sue a school district for violations under the bill. 

Critics have many concerns which include their fear that the measure will stigmatize LGBTQ youth and do away with discussions of their lives and families in public school classroom settings.

Two Senate Republicans did vote against it: Jeff Brandes of St. Petersburg, Florida, who vocally opposed the bill and tried unsuccessfully to amend it, and Jennifer Bradley of Orange Park. 

Sen. Dennis Baxley, who is a Republican in favor of the bill said it recognizes that parents are in charge of their child’s education and development: “Sometimes, the right answer is, ‘You really ought to talk to your parents about that.’ ”

However, Democrats continue to slam the measure, calling it homophobic. Referring to those who identify as LGBTQ, Democratic Sen. Tina Polsky, asked, “Why do we have to pick on them, marginalize them, single them out? Why do we want to be part of this systemic discrimination that is going on across the country.”