The “Don’t Say Gay” Bill’s Harm to LGBTQ+ Individuals in the US

In the GOP dominated Florida legislature, the proposed “Don’t Say Gay” Bill is expected to be passed later in the week of March 6th. 

This bill was introduced as a way to limit the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, one of the many examples of the government trying to strip away at the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals. SInce its proposal, it has drawn much criticism from the public and has gained outrage; President Joe Biden stated that the bill is “hateful”. 

Protests over the outrage of the bill have increased in the past week—mainly consisting of students who attend school in Florida and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups—in spite of the bill close to being passed. 

Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida said that the bill was “justifiable”, stating “I think it’s inappropriate to be injecting those matters, like a transgenderism, into a kindergarten classroom.” Republicans also argue in favor of it being passed, stating that the bill would not stop teachers from engaging in conversations regarding sexual orientation and gender identity, but it is made to prevent such from being put into any curriculum. 

This bill would have a further detrimental impact on LGBTQ+ youth who already face greater mental health issues than others such as depression, anxiety and even suicide. The bill also restricts young students from communicating freely upon themselves, further silencing them. First Amendment experts have spoken out that this new legislation could be a violation on the speech rights of teachers, even though they already have limited freedom of speech as public educators and employees. 

“When a teacher in the classroom in a public school is delivering the curriculum that they are assigned to teach, their First Amendment rights are going to be very limited in that context,” said Clay Calvert, the director of the Marion B. Brechner First Amendment Project at the University of Florida. Resulting from this would be now teachers silencing themselves in fear of what parents would have to say. 

In another response from President Biden, his statement towards the bill, is where he vowed to “fight for the protections and safety” of LGBTQ youth. Carlos Smith, a gay Democrat from Florida, said in response “I want to make sure that for those LGBTQ youth in Florida and around the country and in the world who are watching, I want to make sure that they know this: You are loved. You are supported. And we will wake up every single day to fight for you, because you are worth fighting for…”