Courtesy of the City of St. Petersburg
By Ashley George
Despite activists sternly condemning House Bill (HB) 1557, or the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, Florida House Representatives passed the legislation in a 69-47 vote last Thursday.
The bill was first introduced by Rep. Joe Harding with the intention of limiting classroom discussions surrounding LGBTQ+ topics, as well as allowing parents to have a say in what is taught.
Gov. Ron Desantis has shown outward support for the bill and discussed it in a press conference earlier this month.
“Schools need to be teaching kids to read, to write. They need to teach them science, history. We need more civics and understanding of the U.S. Constitution, what makes our country unique, all that basic stuff,” DeSantis said. “We’ve seen instances of students being told by different folks in school, ‘Oh, don’t worry, don’t pick your gender yet, do all this other stuff.’ They won’t tell the parents about these discussions that are happening. That is entirely inappropriate.”
A controversial amendment proposed by Harding that was set to be added withdrew protections stated in the original bill for identifying students to confide in school personnel. That amendment was retracted by Harding before it hit the House floor, but the original language of the bill remains.
University of South Florida alumni, Christine Grossman, weighed in on the passing of the legislation.
“This could negatively impact the mental health, suicide rates and substance use of LGBTQ+ youth, which is already high. Many students only have a safe and supportive space in schools. Taking that support away will have negative impacts,” Grossman said.
President Joe Biden criticized the bill in a tweet earlier this month.
“I want every member of the LGBTQI+ community — especially the kids who will be impacted by this hateful bill — to know that you are loved and accepted just as you are. I have your back, and my administration will continue to fight for the protections and safety you deserve,” the tweet read.
Democrats have proposed amendments to the bill, like Orlando Rep. Anna Eskamani, that would allow students to sue schools on the grounds of violating their identity or outing them to parents.
Eskamani’s amendment states, “a student whose school reveals their sexual orientation to the student’s parent or guardian… and causes irreparable harm to the student may bring an action against the Department of Education. A court may award damages and shall award reasonable attorney fees and court costs to a student who receives injunctive relief.”
While it is unlikely these amendments will pass, it is a valiant effort made to create loopholes and keep the portions of the bill that contain “anti-gay” rhetoric at bay.
Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith (D), who has spearheaded the fight against the bill’s enactment said on Thursday, “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.”
The Senate Appropriations Committee is set to discuss the House Bill on Feb. 28.
