SOUTH CAROLINA
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NEWS FROM THE SOUTH
Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” Expansion
On November 21st, Florida’s State Legislature introduced House Bill 599 by freshman representative Ryan Chamberlain. This bill would prohibit government employees or contractors from being compelled to use a person’s pronouns if those pronouns “do not correspond to his or her sex.” Also, employees and contractors cannot “provide to an employer his or her preferred personal title or pronouns” if, again, they do not match the worker’s assigned sex. It would also bar employers from asking any worker to state their own pronouns. Furthermore, the bill would prevent Trans employees from sharing their pronouns. Under the proposed law, any tax-exempt nonprofit or employer that receives state funds would not be required to provide “any training, instruction, or other activity on sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.” Instead, the proposed law would establish nondiscrimination protections for what it calls ‘deeply held biology-based beliefs’, a new spin on religious exemptions that are commonplace in other anti-LGBTQ+ bills and conservative talking points. Should citizens in other states be concerned? Yes! “Don’t Say Gay” has gained national attention in the past year due in part to Florida’s Republican Governor, Ron DeSantis’ stance against the LGBTQIA+ community. However, this isn’t our first rodeo with “Don’t Say Gay”. An earlier iteration of “Don’t Say Gay” was “No Promo Homo” in response to the AIDS crisis in the 80s & 90s that banned the promotion of homosexuality in schools, specifically in sex education classes. These bills were passed in Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah. Fortunately, these bills have since been repealed or struck down in all but four states: Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas, according to GLSEN.
Melanie Willingham-Jaggers, GLSEN's Executive Director, explains that the difference between the "No Promo Homo" bills and the "Don't Say Gay" bills is that the latter is often heavy-handedly mandated on parent and family involvement - essentially targeting our LGBTQIA+ youth and transgender community. Parents would have the authority to veto books or other material they wouldn’t want their child(ren) exposed to and would require the divulging of information from their child(ren) shared with a teacher or counselor. Variants of the “Don’t Say Gay” law have been introduced in 23 states. Of these, four states have passed laws in 2023: Arkansas in March, Indiana and Iowa in May, and North Carolina in August. Other states, like Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Alabama, Arizona, and New Jersey have bills in their respective Houses or Senates. Will the expansion of the “Don't Say Gay” law in Florida pass? Unfortunately, I believe so. It has the full backing of Gov. DeSantis and the state legislature. We will have to sit back and wait until the next legislative session begins in March. What are your thoughts on “Don’t Say Gay”? Do you know if a bill has been introduced in your state? Reach out to your state legislators and get out to vote to let YOUR VOICE be heard! ~Contains excerpts from “A New Florida Bill Proposes Expanding ‘Don’t Say Gay’ to the Workplace” originally reported by Samantha Reidel for Them on November 22, 2023 and from “16 States Pushing ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bills and Censorship Laws Right Now” originally reported by Trudy Ring for Advocate on March 29, 2022.
