But in the debate, the bill's sponsor, Senator Dennis Baxley, said the quiet part out loud and revealed his reasoning behind it all: to stop LGBTQ+ children from coming out. The proposal passed with a vote of 22-17 along party lines with two Republicans, Senator Jeffrey Brandes and Senator Jennifer Bradleycrossing the aisle. Formally known as the Parental Rights in Education bill, the proposed legislation is commonly called the "Don't Say Gay" bill. Tuesday morning, the Florida Senate passed the controversial SB1834. SAM ZOU is a College junior studying political science from Shenzhen, China. But beneath the contentious wars between political parties are school-aged youth who are forced to spend most of their time in a state that prohibits public schools from sharing or affirming their own identities and backgrounds. Vulnerable students across the country are being used as bullets by Florida legislators to win a few political points. Soon after the creation of Florida’s bill, Alabama created House Bill 322 - almost copying the Don’t Say Gay bill word for word, requiring teachers not to “engage in classroom discussion … regarding sexual orientation or gender identity in a manner that is not age appropriate.”
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Another analysis from CNN reports that there have been more than 150 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced so far this year at the state level. Unfortunately, there are still laws and bills in session that prevent educators from discussing LGBTQ people or topics.Īccording to the American Civil Liberties Union, there are currently more than 100 anti-LGBTQ bills in this legislative session, and a majority of the bills come from state legislatures across the country.
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Education should be about learning the ways to build a kinder, more inclusive, and loving community for everyone. Schools should be a place where every student gets to thrive and learn about the diverse groups of people in this country. Similarly, LGBTQ youth who learned about LGBTQ issues or people in school were 23 percent less likely to attempt suicide. Research from the Trevor Project, the largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth, shows that schools that actively affirm students’ gender identities report lower rates of attempted suicide by LGBTQ youth. They contribute to the well-being and mental health of minority students who may already be insecure about their identities. Representation and inclusiveness are not hollow words. But, counselors worry that an expansive privilege to disclose student counseling information to parents, save only for the most extreme cases, could discourage students from seeking help. Supporters of the bill are concerned about how school officials would react to and advise students who question their gender identity and sexuality. The bill requires school officials to notify parents when their children receive mental, emotional, or physical health services to allow parents “to make decisions regarding the upbringing and control of their children.” This requirement appears to have no limitation on the students’ age, grade level, or circumstances unless there is a risk of “abuse, abandonment, or neglect.” Students might also feel deterred from asking teachers or counselors for help. In their filed complaint, the plaintiffs claim that “anyone who discusses or acknowledges any aspect of LGBTQ identity must fear running afoul of the law, while it is simply taken for granted that discussing heterosexuality or cisgender identity in school settings is perfectly fine." Prohibiting discussions on gender identity and sexual orientation deters teachers from discourse on sensitive topics, as they may fear that initiating the discussion will result in lawsuits from outraged parents. The suit argues that the new law is not intent on banning discussions of sexual orientation on “non-LGBTQ people.” It has no intention to stop the teachers from maintaining “the normalcy of opposite-sex attraction while teaching literature,” or to ban “run-of-the-mill references” to people’s heterosexuality.
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An ongoing lawsuit brought forth by Florida residents and LGBTQ groups has already challenged the statutes. The legislation’s language indicates that any kind of discussion on gender and sexuality is prohibited in classroom instruction, including heterosexuality. The intentional ambiguity may also backfire. Improving and expanding ‘Exchange at Penn’