March 4: “Disney roasted over response to Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill” As word of the bill penetrated even non-political junkies’ Feb. 8: “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis endorses controversial feeds, the internets did their thing. Tweets and memes rained ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill for public schools” down on “Don’t Say Gay” as Disney adults let the House of The Senate wades into a fight about a controversial pro- Mouse have it. Not to be outdone, DeSantis’ head troll, er, posal that critics have dubbed the “don’t say gay” bill because press rep Christina Pushaw did some of her own shitposting. it could affect discussions about sexual orientation or gender identity in schools. The overall bill includes issues such as requiring school districts to notify parents of any changes to students’ services or monitoring of students’ mental or physical health. But part of the bill dealing with discussions about sexual orientation and gender has riled LGBTQ advocates and invited the moniker “don’t say gay.” Here’s a time-lapse version of the past terrible two months for LGBTQ people and allies in headlines and tweets.
WE SAY GAY. It’s been a terrible two months for LGBTQ people and allies. By Jessica Bryce Young, Alex Galbraith, and Ryan Dailey/News Service of Florida
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t’s a tale as old as time — well, maybe not time; maybe it’s more like a tale as old as 1998, the last year Florida had a Democratic governor. As a progressive resident of Florida, every year’s 60-day meeting of the Legislature starts with fresh hope, which then subsides to a sense of creeping dread that grows day by day. By the end of session, you’re hanging your head, avoiding “WTF!?!?!” texts from out-of-town friends, and wondering if you have the energy for another year of protests and calls to your “elected representatives.” Although there were many terrible bills proposed (and most of them passed or are on the verge as of this writing), there’s one in particular that has outraged not just local and state progressives, but the entire country. We speak, of course, of the “Parental Rights in Education” bill, promptly and accurately dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by those who’ve actually read it in good faith. While the word gay does not appear in the bill — in fact early versions of the bill simply referred to “specified information,” while never specifying what information — the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, left no doubt about what he was specifying. As he took questions on the floor, he said the bill is a response to what he sees as a cultural shift supporting younger people coming out and explained that he thinks it’s just some crazy mixed-up fad. “Why is everybody now all about coming out when you’re in school? And there really is a dynamic of concern of how much of these are genuine … experiences and how many of them are just kids trying on different kinds of things they hear about,” he said, simultaneously shaking his fist at a passing cloud. “There’s something wrong with how we’re emphasizing this, and all of a sudden overnight they’re a celebrity. … I know parents are very concerned about the departure of the core belief systems and values.” In its final form, after passing House and Senate and heading for a no doubt very brief stay on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk, the bill finally spells it out. Section 3 reads: “A school district may not encourage classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.” Sen. Ileana Garcia, R-Miami, bluntly asserted, “Gay is not a permanent thing. LGBT is not a permanent thing.” If you think your 9-year-old hasn’t heard the word “gay,” doesn’t have a friend with same-sex parents, didn’t watch Nigel Ratburn and Patrick get married on Arthur, hasn’t seen Lil Nas X’s “Montero” video, or hasn’t danced and sung along with Jojo Siwa … well, you might be a Jeff Foxworthy fan. And if kids can’t ask or talk to trusted grown-ups about any of this, or if they’re afraid to ask their parents, they’re going to ask the internet. Sorry, Florida Legislature — the world wide web doesn’t care about “Parental Rights in Education.”
Feb. 9: “Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill moves toward full hearing in Senate” The Republican-dominated Senate Education Committee approved SB 1834 in a 6-3 vote along party lines, despite testimony from dozens of opponents who argued that the bill could remove teachers as a lifeline for vulnerable LGBTQ youths. Sponsor Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, characterized the bill as clarifying the lines of teachers’ responsibilities in the classroom. The measure includes a provision for parents to file lawsuits against school districts for violations of the bill. Feb. 9: “President Joe Biden calls Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ March 5: “‘Saturday Night Live’ rips Florida, Ron DeSantis bill ‘hateful,’ pledges support for LGBT community” over ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill” SNL once again had our deeply stupid state in its sights. In a “Weekend Update” segment, Kate McKinnon initially pretended to believe the bill is combating the use of gay as a pejorative in public schools. “When I was in middle school, in the ’90s, I was kind of tortured by the constant use of the word ‘gay,’” McKinnon, who is gay, explained. “Like, you know, ‘That’s so gay,’ or ‘Ew, you’re gay.’ It made me feel horrible.” She went on to praise Gov. DeSantis and Florida for taking the progressive step of defending gay students before host Colin Jost interrupted to inform her of the bill’s real purpose: barring schoolkids’ discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity. McKinnon eventually called the law “unconscionable” and returned to the hurtful usage of her youth in calling it out: “If the ’90s were right, and ‘gay’ means ‘bad,’ then this is the gayest law I have ever seen,” she said.
Feb. 22: “Williston rep. pushes amendment to Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill that would force schools to out students to parents” A Florida legislator looking to make the bill a little bit more cruel pushed an amendment that would force schools to out children to their parents. State House Rep. Joe Harding proposed a mandatory mediation session between students, their parents and school administrators. The amendment would give the school six weeks from the time they learn a student identifies as LGBTQ to set up a meeting between the three parties. If it doesn’t happen, the parents would have the ability to sue the school for not informing them. Feb. 25: “‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill passes Florida House” While testifying on the House floor last week, Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, who is gay, said, “This bill goes way beyond the text on the page. It sends a terrible message to our youth, that there is something so wrong, so inappropriate, so dangerous about this topic that we have to censor it from classroom instruction.” He was instructed by House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, not to make the debate “personal.”
March 8: “Florida’s first openly gay state senator cried while debating state’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill” In an emotional bit of testimony against the bill, Sen. Shevrin Jones urged his fellow senators to consider the message they are sending to Florida’s youth and the harm they might cause by forcing children to keep their identities hidden. Jones, whose father is a pastor, said he suffered greatly both keeping his sexual orientation a secret and in the immediate aftermath of coming out. He wept while recounting a passage from his father’s book that said he was disappointed in his son. Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith attempted to testify before the Senate Committee, but Appropriations Committee Chair Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, shut him down, saying he’d already spoken in the House. When Smith filled out a speaker card to comment as a member of the public, he was denied a speaking slot.
March 1: “Florida inches closer to another bad decision as ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill is poised to become law of the land” March 3: “LGBT activists hold protest in front of Walt Disney World asking Disney to speak out against Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill” orlandoweekly.com
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MARCH 16-22, 2022 ● ORLANDO WEEKLY
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