Florida’s Senate passed an extremely controversial bill to ban discussions of sexual orientation or gender identity in primary schools.
Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to sign the measure into law now that the Republican-backed legislation has passed the bill, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. DeSantis has already endorsed the bill.
Teachers will be barred from teaching these topics to children under the age of 10. Any instruction about sexual orientation or gender identity between kindergarten and third grade, roughly the ages of five to nine. It also tells school districts to avoid topics relating to LGBTQ, claiming that they are not age-appropriate.
Critics of the bill say that it will further isolate LGBTQ+ youth and that it is simply hateful legislation that targets the most vulnerable students. Activists and experts say that the bill could marginalize LGBTQ youth even further, especially as they come to terms with their identity.
Florida is not the only state to ban or constrain the discussion of LGBTQ in school, often called “no promo homo” laws. Four other states — Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Oklahoma — currently have laws that explicitly prohibit or severely limit sex education to only heterosexual activity.
The Florida bill extends further, as it also includes prohibiting student support services from speaking about LGBTQ. This means counselors meant to help children cannot discuss gender or sexual identity.
Don’t Say Gay in Florida allows parents to directly sue schools if they believe someone has broken the law.
The sweeping bill’s powers might not even end at the threshold of the classroom. The language is written vaguely, meaning that teachers and students may be prevented from discussing their lives and their identities even outside of school.
Critics warn that schools will no longer be a “safe space,” and in fact, be just the opposite for LGBTQ children.
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