Don’t say gay, stay straight. That’s what Florida legislators say as Florida schools face strict control over sex and LGBTQ+ education. The “Don’t Say Gay” Bill and the Stop WOKE Act allow parents to have a say on what their kids are taught, rather than teachers.
The “Don’t Say Gay” law could block students of all ages from learning about sexual orientation and sex education itself, according to AP News. With no clear set of rules of what teachers can and cannot teach, many fear being sued for saying the wrong thing, leading to lessons on gender identity and the Stonewall Riots being eradicated from school curriculums.
The first openly LGBTQ+ member of the Florida Senate, Shervin Jones, believes that these new bills can especially become a danger to LGBTQ+ students. The mental and physical health of young students can take a downturn with the possible increase of stigma and dehumanizing treatments towards the LGBTQ+ community. Many believe that this won’t just affect Floridian students, it will affect the nation.
Sophomore Molly McCarthy of Manasquan spoke about the effects passing these bills will have.
“Kids are not going to stop being gay,” McCarthy said. “No matter what, gay kids are going to keep being gay, whether they find out when they’re twelve or when they’re forty. It’s terrible — they’re losing an outlet and can’t be themselves anymore.”
In addition, teachers in Florida are forbidden to discuss systemic race theory and the advantages and disadvantages based on race, or as it’s commonly referred to, the Stop WOKE Act, according to HB7. This new act is rewriting the history of the Civil Rights movement as well. A video of a section of a Florida textbook has recently gone viral for altering the story of Rosa Parks to get approval for usage in classrooms. The information in the textbook had changed from “She was told to move to a different seat because of the color of her skin,” to “She was told to move to a different seat,” eliminating the mention of her race completely.
Along with the new censorships on LGBTQ+ and cultural history, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has gone on a book-banning frenzy, with 175 books banned across the state, according to PEN America. Many of these banned books include themes of LGBTQ+ relationships, protagonists of color, and women’s rights. Critically acclaimed books such as The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy have faced permanent removal from the shelves of school libraries.
English teacher Aubrey Torta believes that the effects of Florida’s strict rules on what literature students are allowed to read are a threat to public education.
“It’s insanity. We should be scared, we really should,” Torta said. “I think public education is really under attack in some of the bannings, and I think that some of the ideas around the access to public education, the access to books, the access to authors is crucial to democracy.”
On the contrary, many think that Florida is isolating itself from the rest of the states. This radical reform on sex education ranks Florida at #47 on State by State Safer Sex Index’s list for sexual health.
History teacher Bill Clark believes that Florida’s legislation will not influence the country. In fact, he believes that Florida will show the country what not to do.
“Florida is taking such incredible stances that they are going too far to the point where they’re losing credibility,” Clark said. “There’s a propensity that they [other states] could follow Florida if [it] wasn’t for the fact that the governor of Florida is isolating Florida.”
That doesn’t mean these laws will have any less of an effect on kids or families, however. Many families are questioning if Florida is a safe place to raise children of color or those who identify as LGBTQ+.
Clark continued to say that the wellness of children in Florida is on the back burner in the mind of legislators.
“Kids don’t necessarily follow what their parents say nowadays, they think for their own,” Clark said. “It’s the way it should be, we finally respect kids – Florida clearly doesn’t.”
Right now, Florida is a utopia to one man–Governor Ron DeSantis. To everyone else, his black-and-white vision is full of hate, ignorance, and potential violence. What’s happening in Florida is a prime example of what could happen if no one fights for freedom of speech. While DeSantis is saying stay straight, across the globe people are shouting say gay.
