Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill bans LGBTQ+ lessons in schools

Despite this, the bill was approved by Florida’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives on the 24^th of February and is expected to be signed into law by Governor DeSantis, a known ally of Donald Trump.

If this happens, the law will come into effect on the 1^st of July with curriculums assessed for compliance in June 2023.

Although the bill would still allow spontaneous discussions on LGBTQ+ matters, planned lessons including subjects of sexual orientation and gender identity – from history to socio-political discussions – would be illegal, giving parents the right to sue their children’s’ school districts.

Many Floridians feel the bill violates teachers’ and students’ First Amendment rights. This has led to thousands of high school students staging classroom walkouts and crowds of people gathering to protest outside Florida’s Capitol building.

Responding to the public outcry, US President Joe Biden took to Twitter to call the bill ‘hateful’ and made a promise to fight for the protections and safety of LGBTQ+ youth, saying ‘I have your back.’

Joining in condemning the bill is Florida-native pop star Ariana Grande, who called the new bill ‘really disgusting’. Lord of the Rings actor Sean Aston also tweeted ‘this an obvious and clumsy partisan political effort’ that ‘will damage kids and families.’

Others have gone further, with musician Shawn Mendes urging locals to take political action. He has urged Floridian locals to call their Senators and raise an opposition to the Don’t Say Gay bill.

In the US, many red states such as Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas have laws that limit textbooks used in sexual education to heterosexual activity only.

But around the world, LGBTQ+ inclusive conversations are widely considered to be important during a child’s developmental stages. For those starting school, learning about themselves, and starting to interact with other children and different types of families, this education is seen as vital.

In fact, California, New Jersey, Colorado, Nevada, and Illinois all took the leap to include lessons on the history and contributions of the LGBTQ+ community in America over the last few years.

Other parts of the world have also made major leaps in this regard. In September of 2021, Scotland became the first country in the world to introduce LGBTQ+ inclusive lessons into school curriculums.

All public schools in Scotland now teach about issues faced by the LGBTQ+ community including same-sex marriage, parenting as a same-sex couple, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, as well as the history of the HIV and AIDS epidemic.

Though there was some initial pushback from the public, 60 percent of the British population believe it is necessary to teach children about diverse family dynamics. This figure increases to 68 percent when Gen-Z is surveyed.

In Florida, advocates, charities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community are fighting against the Don’t Say Gay bill. The Executive Director of the advocacy group Equality Florida Nadine Smith believes, ‘This is really about making it impossible for LGBTQ+ young people to speak for themselves.’

Whether the law will be passed into law still hangs in the balance, but it will certainly not be successful without facing major protests from the LGBTQ+ community nationwide.