Florida teachers get new marchg orrs as "Don't Say Gay" law go to effect, and 's not pretty - Queerty

Contents:

• AS FLORIDA'S 'DON'T SAY GAY' LAW TAK EFFECT, SCHOOLS ROLL OUT LGBTQ RTRICTNS
• ‘HURTFUL AND SULTG’: FLORIDA TEACHERS REACT TO THE ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL
• FLORIDA TEACHERS GET NEW MARCHG ORRS AS “DON’T SAY GAY” LAW GO TO EFFECT, AND ’S NOT PRETTY

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

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. 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. "Members and supporters of the LGBTQ muny at the "Say Gay Anyway" rally Miami Beach, Fla., on March 13.

‘HURTFUL AND SULTG’: FLORIDA TEACHERS REACT TO THE ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL

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.

FLORIDA TEACHERS GET NEW MARCHG ORRS AS “DON’T SAY GAY” LAW GO TO EFFECT, AND ’S NOT PRETTY

He’s ncerned Florida’s recent ntroversial “don’t say gay” bill is dangero, hateful legislatn that pos many risks to LGBTQ youth the state. “Don’t say gay” also grants parents the right to sue for damag and attorney fe if a school district don’t rolve their plat about a child’s tn, which sentially forbids discsn of LGBTQ issu or inti.

”McCracken characterized the bill and py-t legislative efforts spreadg other parts of the US as part of a war on gay cvil rights igned by Republins and is eply ncerned about the negative impacts of the bill on stunts and teachers. “As a gay man, I fd both hurtful and sultg.

It’s hurtful, bee I don’t believe there’s anythg appropriate about my life as a gay man, ” he said. I believe that I’m a good teacher and have posively impacted stunts and that me beg gay not only hasn’t been trimental to their learng, but has probably been helpful for a lot of people – not only LGBTQ+ stunts, but other stunts as well who see that I’m willg to live my life openly and that I believe everyone should be able to live their life wh digny and rpect and we should be treatg each other like fellow humans. Florida Republin state senator Dennis Baxley, a sponsor of the bill, remarks on the state senate floor, ma claims of a big uptick the number of children g out as gay and amed the bill as a rponse to that.