On the 28th of March, the governor of Florida signed the Parental Rights In Education Bill, also dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by opponents, thus putting it into effect as law. There has been much controversy around the bill, due to the vagueness of the bill and uncertainty how  it could be interpreted.

So what does the bill actually say, and how will it be interpreted? 

Supporters of the bill say that the purpose of the bill is for parents to be able to control when and how their children learn about sexual orientation and gender identity; but, opponents feel the purpose is to prohibit any mention or discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity by elementary school teachers, ultimately creating exclusionary and discriminatory practices.  

The function the bill may serve could be to reduce or remove inclusivity in schools, and the content within the bill reflects that.

The law specifically talks about “prohibiting classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grade levels or in a specified manner” and that “classroom instruction by school personnel… on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur… in a manner that is not age appropriate”.

The proponents of this bill have not provided evidence to suggest that teachers were forcing ideas on children in the first place. It’s unlikely that this is the case. Instead, the likely outcome of this bill is that it could stop any teachers from being inclusive with their material.  

For example, 1st grade teachers regularly read picture books to their class. To be more inclusive to children with diverse types of families, they may choose a book in which a character has two dads. Depending on how this law is interpreted, a parent could sue the school district asserting that the teacher is engaging in “instruction on sexual orientation”, thus discouraging teachers from ever using material that doesn’t solely present normalized straight, cisgender representations.

If impressionable kids are only exposed to a singular way of living life as “normal”, a stigma can be erected around other “abnormal” ways of living life. So, in this instance, with no exposure to LGBTQ representation, kids might feel these families don’t belong. In addition, prohibiting representation or discussion, and creating this stigma, doesn’t stop anyone from being gay or trans. It only makes LGBTQ or kids with LGBTQ families think what they are feeling is invalid or that they are lesser than other kids, and opens a door for more bullying and mental health problems. This stigma can only regress society back to more hateful ways.

I interviewed Mr. Worthington, better known as Profe, the Spanish teacher and advisor to Spectrum, South’s LGBTQ club, to talk about the bill and why it’s important to not stigmatize LGBTQ people and families at a young age. The interview has been edited lightly for content and clarity.

“When kids are little, they understand that whatever is in the world, just is. When a kid grows up with LGBTQ parents, that’s just their version of normal… I think that downplaying or stigmatizing that is going to make children of LGBTQ families feel like there’s something wrong with their family or their moms and dads are bad people when that isn’t the case at all.”

When asked about the prospect of a similar bill ever being proposed in North Dakota, Profe had this to say.

“I would definitely anticipate it.”

However, Profe emphasized the importance of making your voice heard in order to prevent or advocate against such a bill if it were to arrive in North Dakota.

“One of the first things is getting people to sign petitions to get our government to recognize that that isn’t what we want… when a school district holds a meeting, and the public is welcome, come, show up, show your support, and fight against it.”

In short, the “Don’t Say Gay Bill” is problematic because it hinders society. Stigmatizing LGBTQ people is unhealthy and detrimental to children. If such a bill ever came to North Dakota, it’s important to make your voice heard to speak out against enacting laws that hurt people.