TALLAHASSEE, FLA. (WSVN) - It was busy day at the state’s capitol on Monday as scores of demonstrators lined the entrance to the Florida Senate to protest one of the most controversial bills of the year.
Life, art and politics, in the form of a “Saturday Night Live” skit, all intercepted in Tallahassee.
“Those are children, those are votes, those are parents,” said Sen. Shivren Jones (D), Miami Gardens.
Critics call it the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
“By passing this bill, we are feeding into perception of queerness as immoral,” said Miami-Dade County student Zen Nelson.
Nelson is a student at Herbert A. Ammons Middle School in Miami, and she worries that other LGBTQ+ students will lose support at school.
“Which is often people escape from homes that are not accepting or unloving for them,” said Nelson.
“The bill prohibits classroom instruction on a group of people, which includes gay people,” said Orlando Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith.
Supporters call it by its official name, the Parental Rights in Education bill, and they say it doesn’t ban the word “gay.”
“This is a bill that is discriminatory in nature, that tries to erase and eventually criminalize LGBTQ+ identity,” said Rep. Anna Eskamani (D), Orlando.
But supporters said it doesn’t ban any language and is all about the rights of parents.
“If, in the point of instruction on any material and any topic, the conversation comes up of a family situation, it has to be addressed by the teacher, and this bill doesn’t prevent that,” said Sen. Manny Diaz Jr. (R) Hialeah Gardens.
“Nowhere in our bill are we banning any discussion that a student could have relating to any variation of families or how they can look,” said Willison Rep. Joe Harding.
Since its introduction by two Republican lawmakers, controversy has surrounded the wording of the proposed law.
“So you actually look at the bill, and it says no sexual instruction, and it says no sexual instruction in Pre-K through three,” said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
However, that’s not exactly what the bill says.
On page four, the bill says, “Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that it is not age-appropriate…”
Opponents of the bill said that is the real issue — that the LGBTQ community is singled out.
“LGBTQ+ children are the highest risk for suicide, attempts of suicide, violence and bullying. Is this what we want to teach? Is this what we’re about as a society?” asked State Rep. Robin Bartleman (D), Weston.
“This bill does not put any restrictions on classroom instruction on sex ed or sexual activity. Instead, it censors classroom instruction and discussion about a group of people,” said Smith.
But proponents said the parental rights aim of the bill is key.
The proposed law would also set up new rules when it comes to health care, health screenings and questionnaires given to children. It would allow parents to sue if they feel the school violated their rights.
“We believe that the best environment for a student is an environment where the parent is empowered and involved and working and concurrently with the school district,” said Harding.
Beyond the performance and the politics, LGBTQ lawmakers said the impact can be real.
“I never knew that living my truth would cause church members to leave my dad’s church or friends to stop talking to me … It seems, as in politics, where we’re scared to just step out to make sure we’re not hurting people,” said Jones.
The debate over the bill became even more contentious over the weekend when a spokeswoman for DeSantis tweeted, “The bill that liberals inaccurately call ‘Don’t Say Gay’ would be more accurately described as an Anti-Grooming Bill.”
Representative Smith responded, “DeSantis’ spokesperson openly accused opponents of Don’t Say Gay of being ‘groomers’ — aka PEDOPHILES. Bigoted attacks like this against LGBTQ people are the worst of the worst. They’re disgusting and dangerous and have NO PLACE in the Guv’s office.”
The bill is expected to go to the Senate as written Tuesday.
If approved, it goes to the governor.
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