TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida’s so-called “don’t say gay” bill is poised for final approval, despite a backlash that included “Saturday Night Live” ripping the legislation and students demonstrating inside the Capitol.
The measure, which moved ahead Monday in the Florida Senate, has dominated Tallahassee’s attention as lawmakers head into their final week of session.
A final vote is expected as early as Tuesday and then the controversial legislation will head to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has voiced his support.
The issue has sent emotions boiling over with Florida’s first openly gay state senator breaking down in tears on the Senate floor Monday. “Saturday Night Live” lampooned the bill during its “Weekend Update” segment.
DeSantis’ office added fuel to the fire over the weekend when Christina Pushaw, the governor’s spokeswoman, dubbed the legislation the “anti-grooming” bill, suggesting on Twitter that people against it support pedophilia.
One sentence in particular is prompting much of the controversy.
It reads, “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 is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
Senators rejected an amendment that would have removed those lines. Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, said removing that language would “gut” the bill.
Another failed amendment would have broadened the bill to prohibit “curricula addressing sexual activity, sexual orientation or gender identity” for grades kindergarten through three as to not single out LGBTQ people.
Opponents argue the bill targets the LGBTQ community and is written in a way to block discussion about sexual orientation.
“It goes beyond don’t say gay,” said Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, who is gay. “The message is don’t be gay and if you are gay, stay away from our children. This bill is about ugliness and hate.”
Sen. Shevrin Jones, the first openly gay Florida state senator, cried on the Senate floor as he pleaded with his colleagues to rewrite the bill’s language. Jones, D-Miami Gardens, described how hard it was for him to come out as gay and run as an openly gay candidate.
Jones, 38, revealed he was gay in 2018 when he was serving in the Florida House. Jones is the son of a preacher. He married at 26 and then divorced at 31.
“When I see these kids, I don’t think you all understand how much courage it takes for these children to show up everyday,” he said, referring to students protesting against the bill. “Just Imagine living your life for 30 years and coming to your parents and you talk to them about who you are and you are lying to them.”
Supporters say the bill (HB 1557) has been inaccurately described and is about involving parents in their children’s education and ensuring lessons are “age appropriate.” The official title of the legislation is Parental Rights in Education. Critics call it the “don’t say gay” bill.
“This bill is not intended to hurt students,” said Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland. “This bill is not intended to out gay children. This bill is intended to strengthen the family unit.”
Other parts of the bill seek to ensure parents have access to information about their children’s “mental, emotional. or physical health or well-being.”
The Florida House approved the bill last month. Seven GOP representatives broke with their party and voted against the bill.
As senators debated the bill, protesters shouted “we say gay” in the Capitol Rotunda. Students in Orlando, Sanford and Winter Park showed their opposition through walkouts.
Rio Pollock, a 19-year-old Tallahassee college student, said he came to the Capitol because he thinks LGBTQ history is being erased.
“It is obviously coming from a place of fear since we are not even taught it in the first place,” Pollock said. “If we are going to learn any information about queer history, we have to learn it ourselves.”
Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, led protesters in the Capitol in a chant against the bill. She urged people upset about the legislation to put pressure on businesses who market to the LGBTQ community but stay silent on the measure. In particular, Walt Disney Co. has faced criticism for not taking a stance on it.
“They are profiting off the LGBTQ-plus identity while doing nothing to protect you, while doing nothing to use their political leverage to stop this bill,” she told the protesters.
Several hundred teenagers participated in a walkout Monday at Winter Park High School.
“Gay and straight students alike and teachers and administrators don’t want the classroom, which is supposed to be a safe place, to be policed,” said Will Larkins, 17, one of the organizers.
“As a queer person, a gay person, who has read this bill ... this bill does nothing but further harm us,” said the 11th grader.
Dariel Cruz Rodriguez, 17, a senior at Colonial High School in east Orange County, helped organize a walkout at his school last week along with other members of the student government association. Students who gathered with signs and flags for 30 minutes Wednesday afternoon said they were frustrated the bill targets LGBTQ students and seeks to limit classroom discussions.
“It’s not really fair,” Cruz Rodriguez said. “It opens a Pandora’s box for the Legislature to censor other parts of education that they may not agree with.”
Maggie Zheng, 18, a Tallahassee college student, said she thinks there will be political consequences for legislators who hold anti-LGBTQ views.
“They chose the wrong generation to repress,” she said at the Tallahassee protest Monday.
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