What Is Florida's Don't Say Gay Bill and Its Impact on Kids? | Time

Contents:

• HERE'S WHAT FLORIDA'S 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL WOULD DO AND WHAT WOULDN'T DO
• FLORIDA JT PASSED THE "DON'T SAY GAY" BILL. HERE’S WHAT IT MEANS FOR KIDS
• FACT CHECK: WORD 'GAY' NOT MENTNED IN FLORIDA BILL LIMG TEACHG ABOUT SEXUAL ORIENTATN, GENR INTY IN SCHOOL
• FLORIDA'S ERNOR SIGNS NTROVERSIAL LAW OPPONENTS DUBBED 'DON'T SAY GAY'
• 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL BE LAW FLORIDA, BANNG SEXUAL ORIENTATN STCTN OM K-3
• DESANTIS-BACKED 'DONT SAY GAY' BILL SPARKS OUTRAGE
• FLORIDA SENATE PASS NTROVERSIAL "DON'T SAY GAY" BILL SPE PROTTS
• AS FLORIDA'S 'DON'T SAY GAY' LAW TAK EFFECT, SCHOOLS ROLL OUT LGBTQ RTRICTNS
• FLORIDA ERNOR SIGNS NTROVERSIAL 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL TO LAW
• ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL: FLORIDA SENATE PASS LAW MARGALIZG LGBTQ+ PEOPLE
• FLORIDA SENATE PASS A NTROVERSIAL SCHOOLS BILL LABELED 'DON'T SAY GAY' BY CRICS
• FLORIDA HOE PASS NTROVERSIAL "DON'T SAY GAY" BILL
• DESANTIS SIGNS FLORIDA BILL THAT OPPONENTS CALL ‘DON’T SAY GAY’
• ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL: FLORIDA SENATE PASS NTROVERSIAL LGBTQ SCHOOL MEASURE
• WHAT’S A NAME: ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ VS. ‘PARENTAL RIGHTS’
• WHAT FLORIDA'S "DON'T SAY GAY" BILL COULD MEAN FOR LGBTQ KIDS

HERE'S WHAT FLORIDA'S 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL WOULD DO AND WHAT WOULDN'T DO

But Florida’s Parental Rights Edutn act — which crics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill — has sudnly sparked a natnal war of recent weeks, lears of global rporatns, edorial boards of major newspapers and Hollywood actors have all weighed on the proposed legislatn, wh some llg “eply disturbg” and others “nonntroversial. ” Conversely, opponents say would unfairly target the LGBTQ muny — particularly gay and trans stunts — and is “pretendg to solve a problem that don’t exist.

The bill, which passed Florida’s Senate last week and the state’s Hoe of Reprentativ Febary, do, however, nta the terms “sexual orientatn” and “genr inty, ” each legal experts say that whether the bill prohibs the word “gay” self is a “distractn.

FLORIDA JT PASSED THE "DON'T SAY GAY" BILL. HERE’S WHAT IT MEANS FOR KIDS

”Beyond brandg, a re argument over the bill centers around whether would prohib the “stctn” or “discsn” of sexual bill’s sponsors have emphatilly stated that the bill would not prohib stunts om talkg about their LGBTQ fai or bar classroom discsns about LGBTQ history, cludg events like the 2016 adly attack on the Pulse nightclub, a gay club Orlando. The Florida Senate passed the ntroversial so-lled “Don’t Say Gay” bill on Tuday, sendg the Republin-backed legislatn banng LGBTQ stctn primary schools to Gov. The proposed law, often referred to by crics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, bans public school districts om teachg about sexual orientatn or genr inty krgarten through the third gra, or “ a manner that is not age-appropriate or velopmentally appropriate for stunts”—language that crics say uld extend the ban to higher gra levels.

” Read more: Kid of the Year Falist Kai Shappley, 11, Tak on Lawmakers Her Fight for Trans Rights What impact uld the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill have? Shevr Jon, Florida’s first openly gay Florida state senator, who told the legislative body: “To those who thk you n legislate gay people away, I’m sorry.

LGBTQ activists have dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill bee would lim what classrooms n teach about sexual orientatn and genr inty.

FACT CHECK: WORD 'GAY' NOT MENTNED IN FLORIDA BILL LIMG TEACHG ABOUT SEXUAL ORIENTATN, GENR INTY IN SCHOOL

Ron DeSantis' sk awag his signature.Meanwhile, bate ntu on this legislatn and what would mean for schools, teachers, stunts and parents.The bill n be read full here.What do the 'Don't Say Gay' legislatn exactly say?Classroom stctn on "sexual orientatn or genr inty may not occur krgarten through gra 3 or a manner that is not age-appropriate or velopmentally appropriate for stunts acrdance wh state standards," acrdg to the bill's language.However, the legislatn do not make clear what is "age-appropriate or velopmentally appropriate" bee state standards for sexual orientatn and genr inty are almost nonexistent for many gras.The bill has the potential to reach beyond third gra bee of s vague language, opponents warn.Florida Gov. Polsky proposed an amendment to tablish that the bill would rtrict curriculum on all sexual orientatns and genr inti -- cludg heterosexual and cisgenr inti."If we're gog to go so far as to ban any stctn of the ncepts K-3 and elsewhere, if not appropriate, then we should at least know what we're talkg about," said Polsky durg the March 7 bate.Defg those terms, cludg "heterosexualy, homosexualy or bisexualy" and "genr-related inty, appearance or behavr," uld clear up what the bill would ban, she said.Demonstrators gather to speak on the steps of the Florida Historic Capol Mm ont of the Florida State Capol, March 7, 2022, Tallahassee, Fla.

FLORIDA'S ERNOR SIGNS NTROVERSIAL LAW OPPONENTS DUBBED 'DON'T SAY GAY'

Florida Hoe Republins advanced a bill, dubbed by opponents as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, to forbid discsns of sexual orientatn and genr inty schools.Wiledo Lee/APRepublin state Sen.

'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL BE LAW FLORIDA, BANNG SEXUAL ORIENTATN STCTN OM K-3

Danny Burgs also later add that the standard unrstandg of the terms is what the law would follow.Why activists ll "Don't Say Gay"?Durg the Senate bate, Baxley slammed the nickname bee the bill do not have the word "gay" .However, the bill's nickname om activists has bee "Don't Say Gay" and "Don't Say Trans" bee advot have said they believe would make LGBTQ people taboo once aga classrooms, settg back the progrs ma by the LGBTQ muny the last few s.LGBTQ advocy anizatns say the bills are remiscent of the "no promo homo" laws of the 1990s that barred tors om discsg LGBTQ topics school classrooms.A sign was ed a "Don't Say Gay" prott downtown Fort Myers, March 6, 2022. The march was held to prott Florida's "Don't Say Gay" legislatn.Andrew Wt/The News-Prs via USA Today NetworkAt least four stat still have such laws on the books, cludg Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma."One of the differenc between the bills and some of the 'no promo homo' laws that passed the 1990s is the heavy-hand mandate on parent and fay volvement," Melanie Willgham-Jaggers, the executive director of LGBTQ advocy group GLSEN, told ABC News.She add: "We've learned that the prence of even one supportive adult mak all the difference.

Jon is the first openly gay man the Florida Senate.Members and supporters of the LGBTQ muny attend the "Say Gay Anyway" rally Miami, March 13, 2022. This bill is tend to strengthen the fay."Several amendments meant to clarify what the bill aims to do had been shut down by Republin legislators.The amendments remend fg what sexual orientatn and genr inty mean; ban stctn that is tend to change a stunt's inty; specifilly, ban sexual ntent and more proposals.What else is the bill bis the LGBTQ ntent rtrictns?The bill dictat that schools mt notify parents of which health re servic are offered at the schools and parents n whhold nsent or cle servic for their children.There are also parts of the bill that would require parents to be notified if a stunt a new school health rource or monorg of their mental or physil well-beg.Schools would be required to enurage stunts to discs issu ncerng their well-beg wh their parents, or schools mt help facilate such nversatns, acrdg to the legislatn.Members and supporters of the LGBTQ muny attend the "Say Gay Anyway" rally Miami, on March 13, 2022.

Opposn Democrats and LGBTQ rights activists have lobbied agast the "Don't Say Gay" law, which will affect kids krgarten through third gra.Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty ImagSome activists argue that schools are supposed to be a safe place for children to exprs themselv -- pecially if their home or fay do not feel like a safe space.Activists argue that the provisns uld effectively "out" LGBTQ-intifyg stunts to their parents whout their nsent."This bill will erase young LGBTQ stunts across Florida, forcg many back to the closet by policg their inty and silencg important discsns about the issu they face," said Sam Am, the director of advocy and ernment affairs at LGBTQ suici awarens anizatn The Trevor Project. The "Don't Say Gay" moniker om crics of the measure who blast this ia and sist this policy will hurt LGBTQ children. "Florida's HB 1557, also known as the 'Don't Say Gay' bill, should never have passed and should never have been signed to law, " the statement read.

DESANTIS-BACKED 'DONT SAY GAY' BILL SPARKS OUTRAGE

Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Monday that forbids stctn on sexual orientatn and genr inty krgarten through Gra 3, a policy that has drawn tense natnal scty om crics who argue margaliz LGBTQ legislatn has phed Florida and DeSantis, an ascendg Republin and potential 2024 printial ndidate, to the foreont of the untry's culture wars, wh LGBTQ advot, stunts, Democrats, the entertament dtry and the Whe Hoe nouncg what crics have lled the "Don't Say Gay" bill. Florida stunts staged walkouts and packed to mtee rooms and statehoe halls to prott the measure, often wh boomg chants of "We say gay!

"Throughout bate the Republin-ntrolled statehoe, Democrats have said the bill's language — particularly the phras "classroom stctn" and "age appropriate" — uld be terpreted so broadly that discsn any gra uld trigger lawsus and create a classroom atmosphere where teachers would avoid the subjects Disney workers walk off the job over pany's rponse to Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill"The bill's tentnally vague language leav teachers aaid to talk to their stunts and opens up school districts to stly and ivolo ligatn om those seekg to exclu LGBTQ people om any gra level, " said state Rep. A Florida bill that would lim classroom discsns on sexual orientatn and genr inty and enurage parents to sue schools or teachers that engage the topics ntu to move through the state Hoe and 's beg lled a "Don't Say Gay" bill by LGBTQ advot, who fear that if this bill is signed to law, uld act as a plete ban on the lsons on LGBTQ opprsn, history and discsns about LGBTQ amendment to the bill was proposed Friday that also would require school officials to disclose a stunt's sexual or genr inty to their parents wh six weeks of fdg out about the stunt's inty.

FLORIDA SENATE PASS NTROVERSIAL "DON'T SAY GAY" BILL SPE PROTTS

Ron DeSantis and the state legislature for the efforts last month a Twter advocy anizatns say the bills are remiscent of the “no promo homo” laws of the 1990s that barred tors om discsg queer topics schools, but wh an add mandate on parent and fay volvement. The Florida Senate has passed the "Parental Rights Edutn" bill, known by crics as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, spe stnch cricism om Democratic lawmakers and LGBTQ+ advot. A 2019 survey om The Gay, Lbian and Straight Edutn Network (GLSEN), emed Florida's school climate "not safe" for LGBTQ+ stunts, due part to a lack of accs to LGBTQ+-clive curriculum and supportive school polici.

As Florida’s Parental Rights Edutn law — or what crics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law — go to effect Friday, some of the state’s public school districts have begun rollg out new polici to lim LGBTQ issu and inti om beg discsed the Tuday night, the Leon County School Board unanimoly approved s “LGBTQ Inclive School Gui, ” which clus a provisn to alert parents if a stunt who is “open about their genr inty” is their child’s physil tn class or wh them on an overnight school trip. Clifford / AP fileThe so-lled Don’t Say Gay law, HB 1557, bans “stctn” about sexual orientatn or genr inty “ krgarten through gra 3 or a manner that is not age appropriate or velopmentally appropriate for stunts acrdance wh state standards. ” A provisn the law also requir school staff members to alert parents about “cril cisns affectg a stunt’s mental, emotnal, or physil health or well-beg, ” which many advot have terpreted as a way to force tors to out their gay or trans stunts.

AS FLORIDA'S 'DON'T SAY GAY' LAW TAK EFFECT, SCHOOLS ROLL OUT LGBTQ RTRICTNS

They have also ntend that will not prohib teachers and stunts om talkg about their LGBTQ fai or bar classroom discsns about LGBTQ history, cludg events like the 2016 attack at the Pulse gay nightclub crics and legal experts have said the broad language of the law uld open school districts and teachers to lawsus om parents who believe any nversatn about LGBTQ people or issu is “not age appropriate. Carlos Smh, a Democrat who is gay and has been an outspoken cric of the new law, said he was “not surprised” that schools the state were announcg the polici and guil.

“What’s happeng right now — wh the censorship of rabow flags and school districts preparg to basilly ph LGBTQ stunts and teachers to the closet — is exactly what we said would happen wh the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law.

FLORIDA ERNOR SIGNS NTROVERSIAL 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL TO LAW

Chandan Khanna / AFP via Getty Imag fileFive other stat — all of them the South — have enacted laws that lim stctn or discsns about LGBTQ people or issu school, and at least 32 others have proposed such measur this year, acrdg to acrdg to the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ thk tank that has been trackg the strsed that the polici will have nsequenc for lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer stunts, potg to the disproportnately high rat of suici attempts among the untry’s LGBTQ youths.

”In Palm Beach County, Woods, who is gay, said that after they received the qutnnaire om school officials to flag urse material or books wh LGBTQ referenc, many of his lleagu are nervo they’ll be reprimand if they miss somethg. Ron DeSantis has signed the Parental Rights Edutn bill, dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill by bill bans classroom stctn on sexual orientatn or genr inty krgarten through third gra and stat that any stctn on those topics nnot occur " a manner that is not age-appropriate or velopmentally appropriate for stunts acrdance wh state standards, " acrdg to the legislatn, HB 1557. Florida Hoe Republins advanced a bill, dubbed by opponents as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, to forbid discsns of sexual orientatn and genr inty schools.

Hillsborough High School stunts prott a Republin-backed bill dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" that would prohib classroom discsn of sexual orientatn and genr inty, a measure Democrats nounced as beg anti-LGBTQ, Tampa, Fla., March 3, 2022. Make no mistake, by signg the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, Ron DeSantis is takg the si of hatred, bullyg and discrimatn and sendg a clear msage to children Florida that he don’t re about them or their fai if he n e their pa to sre polil pots wh his base, " Florida Democratic Party Chair Manny Diaz said. The Republin-domated Florida legislature passed a bill on Tuday which would forbid stctn on sexual orientatn and genr inty krgarten through third gra, rejectg a wave of cricism om Democrats that margaliz LGBTQ+ proposal, which opponents have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, now mov to the sk of the Republin ernor, Ron DeSantis, who is expected to sign to s ceptn, the measure has drawn tense opposn om LGBTQ+ advot, stunts, Democrats, the Whe Hoe and the entertament dtry, amid creased attentn on Florida as Republins ph culture war legislatn and DeSantis ascends the GOP as a potential printial ndidate.

‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL: FLORIDA SENATE PASS LAW MARGALIZG LGBTQ+ PEOPLE

Dozens of stunts and advot flood mtee rooms durg the early stag of the bill procs and then packed the halls of the legislature as moved toward fal passage, often wh chants of “We say gay!

DeSantis has chafed at llg the proposal the “Don’t Say Gay” bill bee he said would apply to stctn on any genr inty or sexual orientatn. The platiffs Thursday’s lawsu clu Equaly Florida, an LGBTQ advocy anizatn; Fay Equaly, a New York-based nonprof; a 17-year-old sophomore Palmetto, Florida, who intifi as gay; an 18-year-old senr Osprey, Florida, who intifi as gay; the parent of a transgenr fifth-grar Florida; three same-sex upl livg Florida wh young children; and a middle-school public teacher Grand Ridge, Florida. LGBTQ advot march at a rally at Walt Disney World Orlando, Fla., to urge the pany to publicly oppose what they ll the "Don't Say Gay" that aims to lim stctn of genr inty and sexual orientatn schools.

Parental Rights Edutn is the official name of the bill, but crics have dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill, argug that would make life at school harr for LGBTQ kids. Dennis Baxley, have said that their foc is on classroom stctn, and that the bill do not actually prevent the word "gay" om beg said schools. "Here you've got a bill that don't e the term gay that the media has taken and advertis as a 'Don't say gay bill, ' and there's nothg about that the bill except extrapolatg a missn that they're on, " Baxley said.

FLORIDA SENATE PASS A NTROVERSIAL SCHOOLS BILL LABELED 'DON'T SAY GAY' BY CRICS

"She lled a groomg bill, meang that gay people or teachers talkg about gayns are pedophil and are groomg children for moltatn, " Democratic State Sen. Ron DeSantis of Florida signed legislatn on Monday that prohibs classroom stctn and discsn about sexual orientatn and genr inty some elementary school gras, a law that opponents have lled “Don’t Say Gay. On Sunday night, the Osr hosts Amy Schumer, Rega Hall and Wanda Syk chanted “gay, gay, gay, ” a nod to the Florida legislatn.

”“DeSantis is attemptg to censor and exclu an entire muny of people om our public schools for his own polil ga, ” State Reprentative Carlos Guillermo Smh, an Orlando Democrat and the state’s first openly gay Lato lawmaker, said a statement. The measure, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by s opponents, was passed by the state Hoe last month and now heads to Republin Gov.

Parents n sue school districts for alleged a tearful addrs to the Senate on Monday, Democrat Shevr Jon, the first openly gay Florida state senator, urged his lleagu to narrow the bill’s language to say stctn should not be “tend to change a stunt’s sexual orientatn or genr inty.

FLORIDA HOE PASS NTROVERSIAL "DON'T SAY GAY" BILL

But crics nicknamed HB 1557 the “don’t say gay” bill, warng isn’t necsary and mak some stunts feel unsafe by sglg out LGBTQ material as dangero and addn to barrg stctn elementary-age classrooms that touch on sexual orientatn or genr inty, the bill also prohibs schools om whholdg rmatn om parents regardg their child’s mental, emotnal or physil health.

DESANTIS SIGNS FLORIDA BILL THAT OPPONENTS CALL ‘DON’T SAY GAY’

Dennis Baxley, R-Ola, the bill’s Senate sponsor who said he was addrsg “social engeerg” that uld rult more children intifyg as gay or transgenr. ”The guidance clus fns of terms related to sexual orientatn and genr inty — cludg gay, lbian and transgenr — that teachers are enuraged to e when applible. ”The word ‘gay’ is not banned FloridaPeople on Facebook and Twter have said that Florida Republins want to ban the word “gay” school.

‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL: FLORIDA SENATE PASS NTROVERSIAL LGBTQ SCHOOL MEASURE

“GOP’s 2022 platform: Ban books, Ban abortn, Ban Black history, Ban transgenr teens, Ban sayg ‘gay’ and Ban votg, ” said Dean Obeidallah, a left-leang rad host and edian, on March 11.

’”On SNL’s “Weekend Update” segment, anchor Col Jost told st member Kate McKnon, who is gay, that the bill “means that you n’t acknowledge that ‘gay’ exists at all. The moniker “beme a way for the muny to articulate the very real harms this legislatn mak possible, ” Wolf told legislatn do not lerally prohib Floridians om sayg the word “gay, ” but do prohib classroom stctn on “sexual orientatn or genr inty. The Gay, Lbian, Bisexual, Transgenr Communy Center of Central Florida is the olst center the state of Florida operatn sce 1978.

Alarmgly rtrictive laws ntue to proliferate across much of the Raedle / GettyThe red-state drive to roll back civil rights is enterg a new phase, perhaps bt symbolized by Florida’s passage this week of the “Don’t Say ‘Gay’” bill censorg how schools discs sexual orientatn. The refal of the Walt Disney Company, one of Florida’s most powerful employers, to publicly cricize Florida’s “Don’t Say ‘Gay’” bill as moved through the legislature has quickly e to symbolize a retreat om the loud public opposn that many pani exprsed to earlier state iativ rtrictg civil liberti, such as the “bathroom bill” North Carola Republins approved the broad range of socially nservative iativ that Florida’s Republin ernor, Ron DeSantis, and the GOP state legislature have advanced sce 2021, bs has been “silent, silent as fuck, they are so silent, ” says Florida Democratic State Reprentative Anna Eskamani, echog a plat I heard across several stat om Democrats and civil-rights advot this week. This clus laws limg accs to abortn, rtrictg votg rights, banng transgenr girls om participatg high-school or llege sports, barrg transn medil treatment for transgenr mors, censorg how teachers n talk about current or historil racial and genr equi, removg licensg requirements to publicly rry firearms, creasg penalti for public protters, and immunizg drivers who h and jure Watch what’s happeng red statFlorida alone has passed almost every em on that list, and this week add the “Don’t Say ‘Gay’” bill rtrictg classroom discsn of sexual orientatn.

WHAT’S A NAME: ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ VS. ‘PARENTAL RIGHTS’

” Although many big rporatns touted their mment to Black History Month Febary, he not, they “are not willg to put their hand on the sle to stop the removal of Mart Luther Kg and Rosa Parks om our public schools” or to stand up unequivolly for votg rporate rponse was even more muted to the “Don’t Say ‘Gay’” legislatn Florida passed Tuday. Disney’s reticence on the “Don’t Say ‘Gay’” bill ntrasted wh s activist role agast other nservative legislatn unr s former chairman and CEO Robert Iger.

WHAT FLORIDA'S "DON'T SAY GAY" BILL COULD MEAN FOR LGBTQ KIDS

”Bin also tweeted stern opposn to Florida’s “Don’t Say ‘Gay’” bill, and when passed on Tuday, Edutn Secretary Miguel Cardona issued a stronger statement of nmnatn than he’s offered on any of the earlier state-level bills targetg curriculum. The proposed law, often referred to by crics as “Don’t Say Gay” legislatn, bans public school districts om “enuragg” classroom discsn of sexual orientatn or genr inty.