Florida ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill: LGBTQ+ parents fear impacts on children

Contents:

• FOC ON ‘PARENTAL RIGHTS’ CHIPS AWAY AT GAY RIGHTS
• IMPACT OF HB 1557 (FLORIDA’S DON’T SAY GAY BILL) ON LGBTQ+ PARENTS FLORIDA
• LGBTQ+ PARENTS FEAR THE IMPACTS OF FLORIDA’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL
• AS FLORIDA'S 'DON'T SAY GAY' LAW TAK EFFECT, SCHOOLS ROLL OUT LGBTQ RTRICTNS
• 'WHAT PARENTS ARE THEY SUPPORTG?': MOMS SPEAK OUT AGAST 'DON'T SAY GAY' LAW
• LGBTQ+ PARENTS CONSIR LEAVG FLORIDA DUE TO 'DON'T SAY GAY' LAW: STUDY
• HERE'S WHAT FLORIDA'S 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL WOULD DO AND WHAT WOULDN'T DO
• LGBTQ+ PARENTS FEAR THEIR CHILDREN WILL HAVE TO HI THEIR FAI AT SCHOOL UNR FLORIDA’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL

FOC ON ‘PARENTAL RIGHTS’ CHIPS AWAY AT GAY RIGHTS

More than half of LGBTQ parents Florida are nsirg movg their fai to another state over ncerns that a new Florida tn law – known to s crics as the “Don’t Say Gay” law – stigmatiz LGBTQ inti and creat a hostile learng environment for LGBTQ children or stunts wh LGBTQ fay members. LGBTQ parents surveyed by the group voiced a variety of ncerns about the “Don’t Say Gay” law’s expected impact on their children, cludg that would rtrict them om speakg eely about their fai, negatively impact their sense of legimacy and enurage a hostile school climate.

“The Don’t Say Gay bill claims to be for parent rights, but my rights have been taken away sce s passage, ” one rponnt said.

IMPACT OF HB 1557 (FLORIDA’S DON’T SAY GAY BILL) ON LGBTQ+ PARENTS FLORIDA

For some LGBTQ parents, the passage of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law has motivated them to engage more directly muny activism; nearly 20 percent said they participated a monstratn to prott the legislatn over the past 6 months. State Senator broke down tears discsg Florida bill and g out as gay. Crics have labeled the “Don’t Say Gay” law and warned will negatively impact LGBTQ stunts.

There were no gay parents, angry that the state and schools now view their relatnships differently. Incln at school is not the only place where gay and transgenr rights are unr scty.

LGBTQ+ PARENTS FEAR THE IMPACTS OF FLORIDA’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL

The survey of 113 queer parents, nducted by Clark Universy and the Williams Instute at the UCLA School of Law, examed the effects of the Parental Rights Edutn law — the one opponents have slammed as the “Don’t Say Gay” law. “The Don’t Say Gay bill claims to be for parent rights, but my rights have been taken away sce s passage, ” said one parent surveyed the Clark Univ.

The survey found 56% of LGBTQ parents were nsirg leavg Florida the wake of the "Don't Say Gay" law — and 17% have already taken steps to move. “The Don’t Say Gay bill claims to be for parent rights, but my rights have been taken away sce s passage. Acrdg to Plantatn High School sophomore Eric Franzbl, some of his teachers fear they n the risk of losg their jobs if they say the wrong thg, bee of the rtrictns passed by state officials.

On March 28, 2022, the Florida Legislature passed HB 1557, the “Parental Rights Edutn” bill, also dubbed the Don’t Say Gay bill.

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

When asked, “How worried are you about the effects of the Don’t Say Gay bill/law on your children and fay?

LGBTQ+ parents voiced a variety of ncerns about how Don’t Say Gay would affect their children, cludg rtrictg them om speakg eely about their fai, negatively impactg their sense of legimacy, and enuragg a hostile school climate that would negatively impact their children. For example, 11% had nsired movg their children to a school that is not bound by the Don’t Say Gay law (such as a private school).

'WHAT PARENTS ARE THEY SUPPORTG?': MOMS SPEAK OUT AGAST 'DON'T SAY GAY' LAW

Some participants talked about Don’t Say Gay wh their (ually school-aged) children, wh the goal of clarifyg what the legislatn says, what don’t say, and why people are ncerned.

Her fay is one of thoands Florida potentially impacted by the Parental Rights Edutn Act, nicknamed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by LGBTQ+ advot.

“In the 1970s and 1980s, lead to the passage of laws Florida banng gay people om adoptg their own children, children they were already raisg … We n’t take lightly when the ernor’s office impli we’re pedophil.

LGBTQ+ PARENTS CONSIR LEAVG FLORIDA DUE TO 'DON'T SAY GAY' LAW: STUDY

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.

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

” 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.

LGBTQ+ PARENTS FEAR THEIR CHILDREN WILL HAVE TO HI THEIR FAI AT SCHOOL UNR FLORIDA’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL

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. 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 signed the ntroversial "Parental Rights Edutn" bill to law this week as expected, but some opponents of the legislatn say they were taken aback by the move to sign so effect July 1, HB 1557 -- dubbed by crics as the "Don't Say Gay" bill -- bans classroom stctn on sexual orientatn or genr inty for stunts krgarten through third gra or " a manner that is not age-appropriate or velopmentally appropriate for stunts acrdance wh state standards, " acrdg to the text of the bill. “Governor Ron DeSantis signed the ‘Don't Say Gay’ bill the most wardly way possible today, ” Joe Snrs, the senr polil director of Equaly Florida, said durg a prs nference held after the signg. "My parents were nservative and were not acceptg of the LGBTQ muny or of you know, gay people general, ” she said.