‘Hurtful and sultg’: Florida teachers react to the ‘don’t say gay’ bill | LGBTQ+ rights | The Guardian

Contents:

• FLORIDA STUNTS PARTICIPATE MASSIVE WALKOUT TO PROTT THE ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL
• TEACHERS VOICE NCERNS AFTER ORANGE COUNTY PREVIEWS ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ IMPACT TO CLASSROOMSBY NICK PAPANTONIS, JUNE 27, 2022 AT 11:31 PM EDTBY NICK PAPANTONIS, JUNE 27, 2022 AT 11:31 PM EDTORANGE COUNTY, FLA. — REPRENTATIV FOR ORANGE COUNTY TEACHERS SOUND ALARM BELLS MONDAY AFTER WORD SPREAD OM PRCIPALS THAT ORANGE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS WOULD IMPOSE STRICT RTRICTNS ON CLASSROOM BEHAVR AFTER FLORIDA’S NEW PARENTAL RIGHTS EDUTN LAW, A.K.A THE “DON’T SAY GAY” LAW, TOOK EFFECT.>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
• LGBTQ+ TEACHERS TOLD TO HI WHO THEY ARE AS DON’T SAY GAY GO TO EFFECT
• FLORIDA SCHOOL BOARDS, CLUDG ORANGE COUNTY, SUED OVER ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ LAW
• FERAL JUDGE URGED TO HALT NTROVERSIAL ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ LAW
• ‘HURTFUL AND SULTG’: FLORIDA TEACHERS REACT TO THE ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL
• HERE'S WHAT FLORIDA'S 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL WOULD DO AND WHAT WOULDN'T DO
• TEACHERS VOICE NCERNS AFTER ORANGE COUNTY PREVIEWS ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ IMPACT TO CLASSROOMS
• FLORIDA TEACHERS EXPRS NCERN OVER SO-LLED 'DON'T SAY GAY' LAW
• AS FLORIDA'S 'DON'T SAY GAY' LAW TAK EFFECT, SCHOOLS ROLL OUT LGBTQ RTRICTNS
• HERE’S WHAT TEACHERS, STUNTS N EXPECT UNR FLORIDA’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ LAW
• FLORIDA’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ LAW TAK EFFECT TODAY. ITS IMPACT IS ALREADY BEG FELT
• FLORIDA TEACHERS GET NEW MARCHG ORRS AS “DON’T SAY GAY” LAW GO TO EFFECT, AND ’S NOT PRETTY

FLORIDA STUNTS PARTICIPATE MASSIVE WALKOUT TO PROTT THE ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL

'Absolutely': Pete Buttigieg on whether 'Don't Say Gay' bill is dangero. More than 500 stunts participated a massive walkout Monday at Wter Park High School Orange County, Florida, prott of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill currently beg nsired by the state Senate, acrdg to walkout anizer and high school stunt Will Larks.

LGBTQ advot say the measure would lead to further stigmatizatn of gay, lbian and transgenr children, g more bullyg and suicis wh an already margalized muny. Durg the walkout, stunts were chantg, “We say gay!

A the “Don’t Say Gay” law, took effect.

TEACHERS VOICE NCERNS AFTER ORANGE COUNTY PREVIEWS ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ IMPACT TO CLASSROOMSBY NICK PAPANTONIS, JUNE 27, 2022 AT 11:31 PM EDTBY NICK PAPANTONIS, JUNE 27, 2022 AT 11:31 PM EDTORANGE COUNTY, FLA. — REPRENTATIV FOR ORANGE COUNTY TEACHERS SOUND ALARM BELLS MONDAY AFTER WORD SPREAD OM PRCIPALS THAT ORANGE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS WOULD IMPOSE STRICT RTRICTNS ON CLASSROOM BEHAVR AFTER FLORIDA’S NEW PARENTAL RIGHTS EDUTN LAW, A.K.A THE “DON’T SAY GAY” LAW, TOOK EFFECT.>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

Elementary-level teachers reported beg disuraged om puttg pictur of their same-sex spoe on their sk or talkg about them to LGBTQ activists speak out on ntroversial ‘don’t say gay’ bill Tallahassee“Safe Space” stickers aimed at LGBTQ stunts may have to be removed om doors, teachers will have to report to parents if a stunt “ out” to them and they mt e pronouns assigned at birth, regardls of what the parents allow, the CTA of the measur appeared to be far outsi what the law actually forbids, as foc primarily on mental health monorg and classroom curriculums. LGBTQ+ school staff Florida have been told to hi pictur of their same genr spoe and not wear rabows as ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law go to effect. LGBTQ+ teachers Florida said they’ve been told they mt hi their inti while at work so as not to vlate the state’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law.

LGBTQ+ TEACHERS TOLD TO HI WHO THEY ARE AS DON’T SAY GAY GO TO EFFECT

Durg the meetg, OSPC attorneys advised prcipals across the school district on what would and wouldn’t be legal unr Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law, which is slated to take effect Friday (1 July). Another OCPS official said a separate nversatn that the district need to be ut the wake of the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law gog to effect until the state provid more clary on how the legislatn would be enforced. Florida ernor Ron DeSantis signed the state’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ legislatn to law March.

Robert Thollanr left the school after 11 years of workg Florida as a teacher and said the cint ma him feel like he “wasn’t tsted bee there’s somethg wrong” wh him for beg gay. “It mak seem like beg gay is somethg vile or disturbg or disgtg when ’s scribed as makg children unfortable knowg that I’m married to a man, ” Thollanr said. Nilette Solomon, a teacher Miami-Da County, told the outlet that the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law would “erase” her as an “LGBTQ” teacher”.

“Florida enacted HB 1557 to silence and erase lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer and qutng young people and fai, ” the lawsu said.

FLORIDA SCHOOL BOARDS, CLUDG ORANGE COUNTY, SUED OVER ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ LAW

Opponents labeled the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. “Falsely dubbed by s opponents the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, HB 1557 is nothg of the sort, ” the state’s motn said. Ron DeSantis signs so-lled ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill to lawTALLAHASSEE, Fla.

“HB 1557, by sign, ters speech by and about lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer, and qutng people schools, ” the motn said. 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.

FERAL JUDGE URGED TO HALT NTROVERSIAL ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ LAW

“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.

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

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.

“This bill, for me, is a sign of pure hatred, ” said Javier Gomez, a high school senr at iPrep Amy Miami, Florida, and print of his school’s Gay-Straight Alliance club. I knew that I was gay at five years old. We’re beg left fensels whout the support we need and we are ntug to face homophobia om our ernment.

”Proponents of the “don’t say gay” legislatn are manufacturg smear mpaigns support of expandg the bills to other stat, cludg claims that Disney is attemptg to “sexualize our children” as part of a progrsive LGBTQ agenda.

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

The accatns have been promoted by Chris Rufo, a rightwg thktank fellow who leaked vios of Disney executiv, claimg Disney has a “not so secret gay agenda” is jt a few weeks after Disney faced cricism om employe and the LGBTQ muny for refg to make a statement opposn to Florida’s don’t say gay bill.

Rufo prevly worked as a fellow for the Claremont Instute, which has a troublg rerd of anti-gay polics and phg for nversn “therapy”.

“I’m gay too so this hs me doubly hard, ” said Jean Eckhoff, a history teacher of middle school and high school stunts Live Oak, Florida, for 17 years.

TEACHERS VOICE NCERNS AFTER ORANGE COUNTY PREVIEWS ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ IMPACT TO CLASSROOMS

Proponents of the bills are flamg homophobic hate and chippg away at civil rights of the LGBTQ muny unr the guise of helpg stunts and parents.

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.

FLORIDA TEACHERS EXPRS NCERN OVER SO-LLED 'DON'T SAY GAY' LAW

For starters, cricism that the “Don’t Say Gay” bill do not fact say “gay” anywhere s text is te. 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. “The ‘Don’t Say Gay’ moniker is a moniker about a certa polil amg of this suatn.

”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. UP NEXTMississippi library pulls LGBTQ+ graphic novel01:49Examg the natnal nservative work behd heated school board meetgs05:59Pope says Church is ‘open to everyone, ’ cludg gay muny01:48Florida bans AP Psychology urse due to s LGBTQ ntent04:10Florida schools drop AP Psychology urse over LGBTQ+ ntent01:39Veteran says VA nied fertily treatment due to same-sex maral stat03:08Heart doctor leav Louisiana over state’s anti-LGBTQ laws02:52LGBTQ+ children participate Pri summer mp New York03:35Neo-Nazi protters target Wisns Pri event01:37Fatal New York stabbg vtigated as possible hate crime01:49More than 100 trans men enter Italian pageant after ntt bans trans women03:29Virgia school board meetg on transgenr polici ends chaos01:49Vio shows L. Puty's vlent arrt of transgenr man01:47Jacksonville Jaguars ach out as gay03:01Children's Hospal Colorado halts genr-affirmg surgeri01:34Virgia releas new school guil for transgenr stunts02:25Michigan man targeted transphobic pellet gun attack01:15Friends remember man stabbed to ath Portland02:04Michigan salon unr fire for anti-LGBTQ postgs02:29Trans Miss Netherlands wner laments negative onle reactn01:31UP NEXTMississippi library pulls LGBTQ+ graphic novel01:49Examg the natnal nservative work behd heated school board meetgs05:59Pope says Church is ‘open to everyone, ’ cludg gay muny01:48Florida bans AP Psychology urse due to s LGBTQ ntent04:10Florida schools drop AP Psychology urse over LGBTQ+ ntent01:39Veteran says VA nied fertily treatment due to same-sex maral stat03:08.

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.

HERE’S WHAT TEACHERS, STUNTS N EXPECT UNR FLORIDA’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ LAW

“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.

FLORIDA’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ LAW TAK EFFECT TODAY. ITS IMPACT IS ALREADY BEG FELT

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.

– Headg back to school is excg for some, but others said this year is different, given the Parental Rights Edutn law, emed by crics the “Don’t Say Gay” law, is now head of the Orange County Teachers Unn said as teachers head to school, many are still nfed about what they n and n’t say the classroom. ”[SEE PREVIOUS COVERAGE BELOW]Gay rights advot sued Florida Gov.

Ron DeSantis on Thursday to block a new law that forbids classroom stctn on sexual orientatn and genr inty krgarten through third on the guil teachers n fact “say gay, ” but Cos wonrs how other districts will terpret the law. Florida’s Parental Rights Edutn law — known to s crics as the “Don’t Say Gay” law — will officially take effect today. Smh, who 2016 beme the state’s first openly gay Lato lawmaker, said he wasn’t exactly surprised that the bill had been troduced.

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

Worry over whether the bill — dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by s crics — vlat the First Amendment rights of public school teachers and stunts has also been wispread. He said Democrats llg the measure the “Don’t Say Gay” bill were lyg to children and g them as “polil pawns” to further an agenda.