In some stat, versns of ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bills have been around for awhile | PBS NewsHour

Contents:

• WYOMG’S VERSN OF ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ ADVANC TO SENATE FLOOR
• WYOMG’S “DON’T SAY GAY” BILL DI THE HOE
• WYOMG LEGISLATORS INTRODUCE EDUTN BILL THAT MIRRORS FLORIDA’S “DON’T SAY GAY” LAW
• WYOMG’S VERSN OF ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ PASS THE SENATE
• NOT JT FLORIDA. MORE THAN A DOZEN STAT PROPOSE SO-LLED 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILLS
• IN SOME STAT, VERSNS OF ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILLS HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR AWHILE
• HERE'S WHAT FLORIDA'S 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL WOULD DO AND WHAT WOULDN'T DO

WYOMG’S VERSN OF ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ ADVANC TO SENATE FLOOR

But several tn officials and LGBTQ rights activists say might prohib teachers om supportg queer youth or even prohib stunts om talkg about themselv or their own bill closely rembl the famed "Don't Say Gay" bill passed Florida last year. Laramie County teenager Ash Siltt spoke about their own childhood and the early realizatn that they were gay.

Wyomg's "Don't Say Gay" bill has failed this ssn, havg missed a key adle Friday bill was a close py of a law passed Florida last year. It also would have required school districts to tell parents about any change their child's emotnal or mental health — a provisn that uld force schools to out gay and trans stunts who have e out at school but not at bill ma all the way through the Senate and was sent to the Hoe of Reprentativ.

The language mirrors Florida’s Parental Rights Edutn Act passed last year, which many tractors labelled the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. She said teachers have plaed that when children wh gay or lbian parents want to brg their parents to school parents’ days and other events, the teachers n’t addrs other stunts’ qutns about those fay nfiguratns. The third is a close py of Florida's much-discsed "Don't Say Gay" bill and lims what teachers n say the classroom about genr inty and sexual orientatn.

WYOMG’S “DON’T SAY GAY” BILL DI THE HOE

Laramie County teenager Ash Siltt told Wyomg Public Rad the bills are a matter of life and ath for gay and trans kids Wyomg.

WYOMG LEGISLATORS INTRODUCE EDUTN BILL THAT MIRRORS FLORIDA’S “DON’T SAY GAY” LAW

It's a close py of Florida's much-discsed "Don't Say Gay" text of the bill forbids teachers om offerg stctn on sexual orientatn and genr inty K-3 classrooms.

"Innocuo s wordg, the bill's supporters say they don't see how the bill uld possibly discrimate agast queer tn officials and queer youth themselv told lawmakers that banng classroom discsn might prohib stunts om talkg about their own fai (if, for example, they have two dads or two moms), and the hardle requirement that districts tell parents everythg about their kids would force districts to out gay or trans Siltt, the Laramie County teenager, said many queer stunts fd that their classroom is a safer place to e out than their home. '"Opponents said the "Don't Say Gay" bill would stifle ee speech and further stigmatize a subset of kids that already face tense prejudic. Further, the bill tablish a missn, s members appoted by the ernor, that would make termatns about an dividual stunt's eligibily for petg on certa the "Don't Say Gay" bill, Senate File 133 advanced out of the Senate Edutn Commtee wh a 4-1 vote.

The bill closely rembl Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, which passed last year. ” It’s a near rbon py of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill that passed last year.

WYOMG’S VERSN OF ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ PASS THE SENATE

State legislatur across the untry are beg flood wh legislatn of this sort that seeks to lim classroom discsn about queer people, ban trans youth om high school sports or even outlaw trans youth healthre agast the advice of every major medil a recent Wyomg Senate Edutn mtee meetg, lawmakers and ttifiers bated Wyomg’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill for an hour and a half.

’”In a later terview, Siltt said when children hom like that disver they’re gay, trans or nonbary, a school teacher n be the tsted adult they’re lackg at home.

But the so-lled “Don’t Say Gay” bill uld take away that safe place — and force that teacher to out the child before they’re ready. Bee the bill is ambiguoly word, g out as gay or trans uld be nsired a change a child’s mental health and require the school to notify their parents. Rearch shows that suici rat are higher areas where trans youth are not accepted, where people don’t ll them by their preferred name or where laws lim what they n talk about school or what healthre they n “Don’t Say Gay” bill is jt one of many piec of legislatn this ssn that impacts queer youth.

NOT JT FLORIDA. MORE THAN A DOZEN STAT PROPOSE SO-LLED 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILLS

”Gay and trans teenagers are watchg the legislature closely this year. “There was always a background radiatn of homophobia, ” said Tanner Ewalt, who serv on ASUW, the stunt senate. It was jt weeks after a gunman shot up a gay club Colorado Sprgs, and ma UW stunts apprehensive about the upg, jt like Siltt, jt like most young queer people the wt, has lost iends to homophobia and transphobia.

“I have iends that aren't here today bee of the climate that existed their hoehold regardg homophobia and queer issu, ” he said. ”The so-lled “Don’t Say Gay” bill has passed the Senate and is now awag troductn the Hoe. The State(s) of 'Don't Say Gay' and Other School Censorship Efforts.

IN SOME STAT, VERSNS OF ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILLS HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR AWHILE

Ron DeSantis signed the state's "don't say gay" bill to law Monday, but the Sunshe State isn't alone the efforts -- 's actually part of a natnal other stat are nsirg legislatn that would ban or rtrict classroom (or unselg office) discsn of LGBTQ+ issu and inty or books and other tnal materials that have LGBTQ+ ntent. The bills aren't surfacg only ral stat or the Deep South -- they've also e up such reliably blue stat as Illois, New Jersey, and Rho Island, although they have ltle chance of passg, The Advote looks at the history of "don't say gay" bills analyz the current state of the and other censorship attempts -- and the legislators behd them.

What Is a 'Don't Say Gay' Bill and What's the History? "Don't say gay" bills have gotten much publicy this year, but they're really nothg new.

Stacey Campfield troduced a bill that would ban any lsons related to homosexualy through eighth gra. Campfield is no longer office, but other Tennsee lawmakers are tryg there was "don't say gay, " there was "no promo homo" -- bills that proliferated the 1980s and '90s as nservative legislators rpond to the AIDS crisis by seekg to ban what they nsired "promotn of homosexualy" schools, pecially sex tn urs.

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

What's the Difference Between "Don't Say Gay" and "No Promo Homo" Bills? A major difference between "no promo homo" bills and "don't say gay" bills is that the latter often have a "heavy-hand mandate on parent and fay volvement, " says Melanie Willgham-Jaggers, GLSEN's executive director. "The mandat are harmful and risk relsly outg LGBTQ+ young people to fai who do not affirm their children's inti, " Willgham-Jaggers when "don't say gay" bills don't pass, the anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric that up the bat over them do harm, pots out Cathryn Oakley, state legislative director and senr unsel at the Human Rights Campaign.

She also not that the bills are more accurately scribed as "don't say gay or trans" bills, as they target transgenr people along wh everyone else unr the LGBTQ+ umbrella.