More than a dozen stat propose so-lled 'Don't Say Gay' bills : NPR

Contents:

• SWEEPG ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL CLOSER TO BEG LAW AFTER TEXAS SENATE PASSAGE
• CRICS OF TEXAS’ PH FOR A “DON’T SAY GAY” BILL SAY ACKNOWLEDGG LGBTQ PEOPLE ISN’T THE SAME AS TEACHG KIDS ABOUT SEX
• TEXAS GOP'S NEW PLATFORM LLS GAY PEOPLE 'ABNORMAL' AND REJECTS TRANS INTI
• LT. GOV. DAN PATRICK WANTS TEXAS VERSN OF FLORIDA LAW THAT CRICS DUBBED “DON’T SAY GAY”
• NOT JT FLORIDA. MORE THAN A DOZEN STAT PROPOSE SO-LLED 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILLS
• ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE AMENDMENT DI, CAPPG ‘HUGE VICTORY’ FOR LGBT RIGHTS
• ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL EMERG GEIA DAYS AFTER TEXAS SENATE PASS RTRICTIVE LEGISLATN
• IN SOME STAT, VERSNS OF ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILLS HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR AWHILE

SWEEPG ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL CLOSER TO BEG LAW AFTER TEXAS SENATE PASSAGE

They were among several bills the Legislature nsired that would brg major chang to the liv of gay and transgenr Texans. But the lower chamber didn’t brg the amend legislatn up for nsiratn, killg the Senate’s third attempt at phg what crics dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” provisn. Crics say the provisns about LGBTQ lsons — patterned on ntroversial “Don’t Say Gay” law om Florida — nta vague language that uld stifle even rmal discsn about LGBTQ people, such as teachers discsg their same-sex spo.

The Republin Party of Texas, which oppos any efforts to validate transgenr inti and claims that homosexualy is “an abnormal liftyle choice, ” also nsirs banng the “teachg, exposure, and/or discsn of sexual matters (mechanics, feelgs, orientatn, or ‘genr inty’ issu)” to be a legislative prry. One bill signalg a shift opn toward the LGBTQ muny was Hoe Bill 2055, which would have repealed the state law crimalizg gay sex.

Venton Jon, a Dallas Democrat who is the first Black, gay and openly HIV-posive lawmaker to serve at the Capol. ” Siar legislatn, lled the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by opponents, passed Florida. The motive the Colorado shootg is still unr vtigatn, but thori said the gunman fac possible murr and hate crime charg the fatal shootg of five people at the gay nightclub, “Club Q.

CRICS OF TEXAS’ PH FOR A “DON’T SAY GAY” BILL SAY ACKNOWLEDGG LGBTQ PEOPLE ISN’T THE SAME AS TEACHG KIDS ABOUT SEX

This hort is also the most diverse yet, thanks to the electn of the first three Black and openly gay reprentativ. But ’s a rerd — and more than 30 years sce the state’s first openly gay legislator served.

At Democrat Glen Maxey beme the first openly gay state reprentative 1991, when the HIV/AIDS epimic was ragg and the state’s law crimalizg homosexualy uld still be enforced. “In my first term, I had legislators who would jt yell out, ‘Don’t vote for the gay guy’s bill, ’” he relled. “And jt havg an openly gay person there who uld teract and make relatnships, or havg the symbol of the muny beg jt a regular hard-workg legislator, was a huge step forward for the muny.

TEXAS GOP'S NEW PLATFORM LLS GAY PEOPLE 'ABNORMAL' AND REJECTS TRANS INTI

Bis Garcia, the other three hmen are also the Hoe’s first woman and men who are Black and openly gay: Reps. Jolanda Jon was “stunned” to know that she’s the first Black and openly gay member of the Texas Hoe, havg won a special electn May. This vote also marks the third time the GOP-ntrolled body has passed what crics dub the “Don’t Say Gay” provisn, which they say is both unnstutnal and harmful to LGBTQ Texans.

LT. GOV. DAN PATRICK WANTS TEXAS VERSN OF FLORIDA LAW THAT CRICS DUBBED “DON’T SAY GAY”

Sarah Eckhardt, D-At, asked Creighton about different scenars that the “Don’t Say Gay” provisn uld affect. For stance, she asked whether would ban gay-straight allianc.

The send setback for this effort me as Senate Bill 1072, which pied SB 8’s “Don’t Say Gay” clse, also failed to pass out of s Hoe mtee by a key Saturday adle. “It is unnscnable that lawmakers would attempt to sneak a ‘Don’t Say Gay/Transgenr’ requirement to a bill that was not at all crafted for this purpose and prevly received bipartisan support, ” Carisa Lopez, senr polil director of the Texas Freedom Network, said a May 18 prs release.

Creighton amend a Senate mtee to add the parental ntrol and LGBTQ stctn language, the latter of which opponents ll the “Don’t Say Gay” Sarah Eckhardt, D-At, qutned Creighton durg bate about whether LGBTQ stunt clubs would be allowed unr the bill. ”Lears om LGBTQ rights groups have blasted Creighton for addg the “Don’t Say Gay” language to what was once a nonntroversial bill that passed unanimoly the Hoe. Patrick said Monday that he will make a “top prry” durg next year’s legislative ssn to pass a bill that mimics a Florida law crics dubbed “Don’t Say Gay.

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

Equaly Texas CEO Rirdo Martez said the LGBTQ advocy nonprof would do everythg s power to stop a Texas versn of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The Texas Republin Party unveiled s official posn on LGBTQ issu over the weekend, fg homosexualy as an "abnormal liftyle choice" and also opposg "all efforts to validate transgenr inty. "Thoands of Republin activists met at the party’s biennial nventn Hoton on Saturday to agree to the party's platform on a range of issu, cludg the rejectn of the 2020 electn rults and a ll to repeal of the 1965 Votg Right Act, which was enacted to prevent discrimatn agast Black a sectn tled "Homosexualy and genr issu, " the party suggted that LGBTQ people should not be legally protected om discrimatn and that beg gay or trans is a choice.

"Homosexualy is an abnormal liftyle choice, " the 40-page rolutn reads. "We believe there should be no grantg of special legal entlements or creatn of special stat for homosexual behavr, regardls of state of orig, and we oppose any crimal or civil penalti agast those who oppose homosexualy out of fah, nvictn, or belief tradnal valu. "The Texas Republin Party blocked the Log Cab Republins, a longstandg group of gay nservativ — which also supports many of the party’s anti-LGBTQ polici — om havg a booth at Saturday's nventn.

"The party's new official stance on sexual orientatn and genr inty also cis wh a recent natnwi surge charged rhetoric om media punds and policians about LGBTQ recent months, nservative lawmakers, televisn punds and other public figur have acced opponents of a newly enacted Florida tn legislatn — which crics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law — of tryg to “groom” or “doctrate” children.

ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE AMENDMENT DI, CAPPG ‘HUGE VICTORY’ FOR LGBT RIGHTS

The word “groomg” has long been associated wh mischaracterizg LGBTQ people, particularly gay men and transgenr women, as child sex abers. Elimatg “Gay Panic” and “Trans Panic” as a legal fense. Repealg “no promo homo” polici that require tors to teach that “homosexualy is not an acceptable liftyle”.

Dan Patrick said Monday he will prrize passg Texas legislatn that mimics the recently signed Florida bill referred to as the “Don’t Say Gay” law. In his email, Patrick lks to a nservative news webse purportedly “Exposg Disney’s ‘Gay Agenda.

‘DON’T SAY GAY’ BILL EMERG GEIA DAYS AFTER TEXAS SENATE PASS RTRICTIVE LEGISLATN

’” The se clus vios of an ternal Disney staff meetg held after the “Don’t Say Gay” bill passed Florida obtaed by Christopher Rufo, a nservative activist who 2020 began g the term “cril race theory” publicly to nounce anti-racist tn efforts.

Ron DeSantis recently fend a bill his opponents ll a “don’t say gay bill” by claimg that this law prohibs “sexual stctn gras pre-K through three, ” and then followed that wh the qutn of “how many parents want their krgartners to have transgenrism or somethg jected to classroom stctn? People like DeSantis, Paxton and Abbott want to stigmatize the mere knowledge, acceptance and cln of transgenr and gay people. That rejectn is now a paful realy Florida where the “don’t say gay bill” tells LGBTQ people that is taboo to simply discs them public schools, or Texas, where parents n’t properly support and re for their own trans children whout fear of social servic removg the children om their home.

Also, the face of the latt efforts to monize LGBTQ people, the visibily of trans and gay Amerins has bee even more val. It will bee harr and harr for people to hate transgenr or gay Amerins wh more and more of simply showg up and participatg culture.

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

Eric Gay / APThis year lawmakers at least three stat have troduced bills to rtrict transgenr girls and women om playg on female sports teams, and lawmakers at least 11 stat have proposed bills that would rtrict genr-affirmg health re for mors. He specifilly ced the Parental Rights Edutn law (dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by crics), which prohibs classroom stctn on “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.

Across the Uned Stat, at least a dozen stat are nsirg new legislatn that several ways will mirror Florida's new ntroversial law, referred to by some opponents as "Don't Say Gay. "The stutnalizatn of the bills is an overt form of stctural transphobia and homophobia, and go agast all public health evince creatg a safe and supportive environment for transgenr, nonbary, queer, gay and lbian youths and teachers to thrive, " Arjee Rtar, assistant profsor of epimlogy at the Universy of Washgton, told NPR. Rtar, a social epimlogist and health equy advote, said the ntroversial bills will lim all youths to live to their fullt potential, addg "there should be no room for transphobia and homophobia — pecially the classroom.