Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill: A Danger To LGBTQ+ Youth

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The Florida House of Representatives passed the Parental Rights in Education bill, appropriately dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, on Feb. 24. This bill gained its moniker because it blocks the discussion of sexual orrientation and gender identitiy in primary school classrooms in Florida. 

Now that the bill is passed into law by the Florida Senate, it prohibits the discussion of sexuality and gender in students between kindergarten and third grade, which proponents argue is content that is not appropriate for that age of the students being taught. The bill also intends to allow parents access to their students’ health and educational records, and would require schools notify parents “if there is a change in the student's services or monitoring related to the student's mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being and the school's ability to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for the student,'' according to NPR.

This bill, though touted as an advocate for parental rights to know what is taught in classrooms, is extremely damaging to LGBTQ+ students in Florida, and has detrimental effects to the entire queer community.

For LGBTQ+ youth, a major struggle is finding acceptance amongst family and peers. Statistics show that only one in three LGBTQ+ youth experience parental affirmation for their identities, and only half of reporting LGBTQ+ youth say that their schools are LGBTQ-affirming, according to the Trevor Project.

In the context of schools, the Trevor Project found that LGBTQ+ youth that reported having at least one affirming space within their school had 35% redacted odds of reporting a sucide-attempt within the last year. Reports also show that LGBTQ+ youth who have trusted adults in their school report higher self-esteem, and those who have supportive peers are protected from anxiety and depression, including those who don’t have that access to support from their families.

This research shows that this support is essential, as it provides risk mitigation to young people in the queer community. Without this kind of support, the consequences are substantial, with 42% of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considering suicide in the past year, according to The Trevor Projects 2021 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health 2021. With the knowledge of how family and school environments affect LGBTQ+ youth, the implementation of this bill into law in Florida that prohibits important discussions of sexuality and gender is deeply concerning.

Beyond the numbers, actual students in Florida have expressed their anger towards the wider implications of this bill. From a report by WFLA on the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, Anya in Sarasota said, “If this bill passes, it will not only harm queer youth, but start our state on a path to disenfranchise the entire queer population.” This sentiment from Anya is shared by Zander Moricz, who says “If you are doing this for families or for parents, they can’t tell. I have met organizers and activists who can feel the bigger picture materializing around us. We are not just a state, we are part of a nation and as such, the outcome of this bill sets a precedent.”

Although this law affects the state of Florida specifically, it is still a hostile position towards the queer community. In schools across the country, it is important that the social climate is affirming of LGBTQ+ students. Schools should have policies that can protect LGBTQ+ youth from bullying, dicrimination and violence. Education and organizations in schools that promote the inclusion of LGBTQ+ students are crucial.