After years of progrs on gay rights, how did the US bee so anti-LGBTQ+? | US news | The Guardian

Contents:

• WHAT'S THE SO-LLED DON'T SAY GAY BILL THAT ULD IMPACT THE WHOLE UNTRY
• FLORIDA’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL WILL HURT TEENS LIKE ME
• WHAT DO ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ ACTUALLY SAY?
• AFTER YEARS OF PROGRS ON GAY RIGHTS, HOW DID THE US BEE SO ANTI-LGBTQ+?
• OPPONENTS CALL IT THE ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL. HERE’S WHAT IT SAYS.
• HERE'S WHAT FLORIDA'S 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL WOULD DO AND WHAT WOULDN'T DO
• THE ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL IS WORSE THAN IT SOUNDS
• FACT-CHECKG 3 PROMENT CLAIMS ABOUT FLORIDA’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL
• FLORIDA’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL IS CEL AND DANGERO
• DONT SAY GAY - ESSAY
• IN SOME STAT, VERSNS OF ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILLS HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR AWHILE
• FLORIDA'S ERNOR SIGNS NTROVERSIAL LAW OPPONENTS DUBBED 'DON'T SAY GAY'
• WHAT THE SCIENCE SAYS ABOUT ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ AND YOUNG PEOPLE
• WHEN REAGAN SAID GAY
• WHAT THE BILL DUBBED ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BY CRICS ACTUALLY SAYS

WHAT'S THE SO-LLED DON'T SAY GAY BILL THAT ULD IMPACT THE WHOLE UNTRY

Demonstrators gather on the steps of the Florida Historic Capol Mm ont of the Florida State Capol March Tallahassee, Fla, prottg what opponents ll the "Don't Say Gay" bill. Hoe Republins have troduced legislatn that some crics are scribg as a natnal "Don't Say Gay" bill – spired by the ntroversial Florida law that bans stctn on genr inty and sexual orientatn krgarten through third gra class.

Activist Er Reed, who tracks anti-transgenr legislatn, argu that the parison to a "Don't Say Gay" bill mimiz the potential effects of this proposed legislatn.

FLORIDA’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL WILL HURT TEENS LIKE ME

Larks is a junr at Wter Park High School Wter Park, Fla., the print and a -founr of the school’s Queer Stunt Unn and one of the anizers of s Say Gay Anyway October, I attend a high school Halloween party. She told me that she had gone through somethg siar when she was my Tuday, the Florida Senate approved the Parental Rights Edutn bill, also known as the Don’t Say Gay bill. Acrdg to the Trevor Project, a crisis terventn and suici preventn anizatn for young gay, lbian, bisexual, transgenr and queer people, teenagers who learned about L.

” To them I would say that if we unrstand ourselv, and those around unrstand , so many liv will be Larks (@ProudTwkie) is a junr at Wter Park High School, the print and a -founr of the school’s Queer Stunt Unn and one of the anizers of s Say Gay Anyway Tim is mted to publishg a diversy of letters to the edor. A versn of this article appears prt on, Sectn A, Page 21 of the New York edn wh the headle: This ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill Will Hurt Teenagers Like Me. Today, we have an analysis of a piece of tn legislatn Florida that crics have referred to as the “Don’t Say Gay” we have news of our own: We’re makg some chang to the Edutn Briefg.

Ron DeSantis of Florida is expected to sign Hoe Bill 1557, a proposed law that supporters ll the “Parental Rights Edutn” bill and opponents refer to as the “Don’t Say Gay” lleague Dana Goldste has done a close readg of the bill self, which is about much more than gay rights. Sentence has earned the bill the “Don’t Say Gay” nickname:L 97-101: Classroom stctn by school personnel or third parti 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 impact is clear enough: Instctn on genr and sexualy would be nstraed all gras.

WHAT DO ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ ACTUALLY SAY?

That uld disurage a teacher om speakg about gay fai wh the whole class, even if some stunts have gay bill also targets mental health and unselg servic — a place where stunts often have difficult nversatns about genr inty and sexualy, pecially if they stggle to talk about those nversatns at as Florida revis s school unselg standards, adopted 2010, which affirm genr and sexual diversy unselg. A rash of laws ncerng the teachg of human sexualy school curricula, banng trans stunt athlet and strippg parents of the right to help their genr-variant children obta appropriate re have popped up numero red stat this same-sex marriage is now part of the fabric of Ameri, nservativ have chosen to explo Amerins’ unfaiary wh trans people and piggyback on parental anger over the perceived overreach of Covid-era school closur, nflatg wh an sid sense of “wokens”, the hop of fdg an electorally viable sluiceway for anti-LGBTQ+ most famo of the anti-LGBTQ+ laws is the piece of Florida legislatn banng stctn on sexual orientatn or genr inty schools between krgarten and third gra, the so-lled “don’t say gay” law.

AFTER YEARS OF PROGRS ON GAY RIGHTS, HOW DID THE US BEE SO ANTI-LGBTQ+?

The ernor and his supporters have labeled as a “groomer” anyone who believ children n learn LGBTQ+ people exist, argug that simply by talkg about gay relatnships to a child, you are sexualizg that child. ”To be gay, their view, is to be herently sexualized, a threat to nocence a way that straight Amerins are vehemence has ught even veteran LGBTQ+ advot by surprise.

OPPONENTS CALL IT THE ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL. HERE’S WHAT IT SAYS.

He was followed by Arizona’s ernor, Doug Ducey, who, after barrg mors om genr-affirmatn treatment, wouldn’t even state for the rerd that trans people were Florida lawmaker Michele Rayner-Goolsby, left, hugs her wife, Bian Goolsby, durg a march at cy hall St Petersburg agast the ‘don’t say gay’ bill.

Photograph: Bob Daemmrich/Zuma Wire/Rex/ShutterstockPolicians are supported the media by mentators like Tucker Carlson, who claimed “no one had heard of this trans thg four years ago”, or Charlie Kirk, channelg 1980s fears sayg “gays want to rpt your children” rejuvenated, the right wg is poised to make transphobia and homophobia rnerston of the midterms and 2024 electns, wh promis to liver “don’t say gay” legislatn stat cludg Michigan and New Perks, the print of the Fay Rearch Council, a nservative lobbyg group, veighed agast the ernors of Indiana and Utah for vetog legislatn banng trans women om participatg sports, llg the bills “timely, mastream protectns”.

The Republin US reprentative Marjorie Taylor Greene vowed to troduce a feral “don’t say gay” bill if Republins w the Hoe this November, only to one-up herself days later by tweetg that for people to be pro-trans is to be pro-pedophilia.

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

”The bs-iendly wg of the GOP that would quietly team up wh Democrats to scuttle rabidly homophobic bills is now outnumbered, and legislators a dozen or more stat that lean even farther to the right than DeSantis are takg, the Natnal Center for Lbian Rights legal director, believ Florida is the tt se for a renewed ph for an aggrsive, Christian-natnalist program. ”The “don’t say gay” bill, Mter not, is very siar to what’s been passed Rsia, tetherg Amerin nservativ to their thorarian unterparts who have succsfully rolled back mocratic norms across eastern Europe. “I’ve seen this movie before over the last 30 years: The right wg cid to target the LGBTQ muny, whether ’s around marriage or adoptn or trans kids playg sports or bathrooms, ” says the California state senator Stt Wiener, who is gay.

“I thought was really important to ph back on the policy level, and to send a clear signal that California and other stat really re about the kids, ” he believ that “don’t say gay” is “patently unnstutnal” but also ntends that relyg on the judicial system to protect human rights may no longer be a sound optn. Ron DeSantis of Florida is expected to sign Hoe Bill 1557, which supporters ll the “Parental Rights Edutn” bill, but that opponents refer to as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. ” Meanwhile, many nservativ have argued that the bill is limed spe and has been misterpreted by s of that has obscured the text of the bill self, which is plex — if at tim vague — and is about much more than gay rights.

THE ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL IS WORSE THAN IT SOUNDS

Instctn on genr and sexualy would be nstraed all 97-101: Classroom stctn by school personnel or third parti 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 is the sentence that has earned the bill the “Don’t Say Gay” language is vague and subject to terpretatn. No “classroom discsn” is a broad phrase, and uld mean that teachers wh a stunt wh gay parents should not talk about those fai wh the entire class.

” More about Dana GoldsteA versn of this article appears prt on, Sectn A, Page 13 of the New York edn wh the headle: Crics Call It the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill. 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.

FACT-CHECKG 3 PROMENT CLAIMS ABOUT FLORIDA’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL

” 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. ”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. Nicknamed “Don’t Say Gay” by opponents, the legislatn prohibs any discsn of LGBTQ+ sexualy or genr the classroom and empowers parents to sue for vlatns.

FLORIDA’S ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL IS CEL AND DANGERO

While “Don’t Say Gay” is a tchy phrase that’s had the tend effect of drawg attentn to the bill, which is expected to be signed to law by Governor Ron DeSantis any day now, the legislatn is much worse than sounds. “‘Don’t Say Gay’ has a ‘sticks’ that helps stay people’s heads, but don’t nvey the full harm that this bill would e, ” says Ross Murray, the vice-print of the GLAAD Media Instute.

Really, ’s the “Don’t Discs Anythg About Queer or Trans Existence and Don’t Counsel Trans or Gay Kids (Instead, You Mt Out Them to Their Parents) or Else Parents Can Force a State Invtigatn of the School, Get Money Damag, and Probably Get You Fired” bill. A trans kid who n’t talk about their genr inty at home, a closeted gay kid a nservative Christian fay — all public-school unselors would be required by law to out them to their parents, who may be unsupportive or abive.

DONT SAY GAY - ESSAY

If one of Eckhoff’s stunts says she discsed gay marriage class, the stunt’s parents n requt that a special magistrate vtigate the allegatn — at the school’s expense — wh the vtigatn to be submted to the state’s board of tn.

That might entail removg books om the library, stutg gag l, endg discsns of sexual orientatn sex-ed class, curtailg faculty advisg of gay-straight allianc, and, whout a doubt, barrg LGBTQ+ teachers’ personal statements of any kd about themselv, their kids, or their fai. The bat around the bill have been a shockg throwback to the anti-gay csas of the 1970s wh nservativ stg gay people as child molters and opponents of the bill as groomers of children to be gay or trans. It’s about elimatg any safe space for LGBTQ+ kids the entire state — no public school Tampa or Miami or Fort Lrdale or anywhere else would be okay to be gay, trans, or simply open about onelf or one’s fay.

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 appropriate. 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.

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

” 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. “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 legislatn do not lerally prohib Floridians om sayg the word “gay, ” but do prohib “classroom discsn about sexual orientatn or genr inty. I feel as though many people are too entled to their opns, so when to “Dont’ Say Gay” is all stemmed om the Governer not wantg to upset though who are agast .

Kay Ivey signed to law Hoe Bill 322, lloquially dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, rtrictg public school teachers om discsg LGBTQ+ history or people public elementary schools.

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

Sce 1992, Alabama’s tn stipulated that teachers emphasize “ a factual manner and om a public health perspective, that homosexualy is not a liftyle acceptable to the general public and that homosexual nduct is a crimal offense unr the laws of the state. A year ago, “Don’t Say Gay” laws that had passed the 1980s were nsired archaic, LGBTQ+ advot said, wh many of them repealed over the years.

Texas lawmakers have exprsed tert pursug a “Don’t Say Gay” bill like Florida’s and Alabama’s, even though the state has had a siar regulatn on the books sce 1991. In Texas, the state still stipulat that tnal materials for people unr the age of 18 “state that homosexual nduct is not an acceptable liftyle and is a crimal offense. Oklahoma passed the natn’s first bill banng teachers om talkg about homosexualy an AIDS sex ed measure April 1987, and Louisana followed su that July.

For example, Louisiana still has a law on the books that stat, “No sex tn urse offered the public schools of the state shall utilize any sexually explic materials pictg male or female homosexual activy. Mississippi sex ed law requir that teachers simply teach current state law related to sexual nduct and lists “homosexualy” alongsi sensive topics such as “forcible rape, statutory rape, paterny tablishment” and “child support.

WHAT THE SCIENCE SAYS ABOUT ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ AND YOUNG PEOPLE

“Once the HIV epimic me to the picture, then a bunch of stat started nsirg and enactg laws that banned stctn on sexualy and homosexualy public tn, channelg this ‘Save Our Children’ mpaign energy and the fear and prejudice durg the HIV epimic, ” Casey said. Vivian Toppg, director of advocy and civic engagement of the Equaly Feratn, a aln of state LGBTQ+ anizatns, said lol Florida anizers worked overtime to sound the alarms about their “Don’t Say Gay” bill. "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.

WHEN REAGAN SAID GAY

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTGut EssayHigh school stunts Tampa, Fla., prottg the “Don’t Say Gay” law last Jon/RtersNathaniel FrankDr. Now the “Don’t Say Gay” law will also apply to stunts gras four to the law might appear to be jt about allowg parents a say their children’s tn — now up to high school graduatn — s breadth and vaguens have a chillg effect on what stunts and teachers thk they n say about sexual orientatn and genr inty.

As wh “Don’t Say Gay” laws, proponents of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” promised to protect the rights, privacy and digny of people on all sis of the ght bate around sexualy. ” They found that the policy hamstng lears by forcg them to choose between followg the law and fully tendg to their subordat, ma harr for gay service members to obta psychologil re and unrmed stutnal tst by forcg troops to lie to one speech rtrictns that don’t directly ban g out are sure to reproduce this rrosive dynamic by impedg the sort of ee and thentic exchang between stunts and teachers that are val to cultivatg tstg relatnships and hive learng, one of the reasons “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was so harmful was that penalizg exprsn — through direct or direct prsure to self-police how one appears to others — harms both personal health and social hn.

WHAT THE BILL DUBBED ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BY CRICS ACTUALLY SAYS

” Yet “Don’t Say Gay” laws threaten the future of the clubs and support groups that often serve as the only safe spac for stunts to e out. High school stunts 34 Oregon unti and found that suici attempts were “20 percent greater unsupportive environments pared to supportive environments, ” stark evince of the difference ma by gay-iendly genr inty and exprsn have bee ground zero of the culture wars, transgenr and genr-nonnformg youth have experienced particularly hostile climat, evinced by outright bans on transn-related health re.