Diversity Education 113: Don't Say Gay Bill

"Florida's House of Representatives passed HB 1557, also known as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, on Thursday. The Republican-backed bill, which would restrict teachers and school districts from openly discussing gender identity and topics surrounding sexuality in the classroom, passed 69-47 and now moves to the Florida Senate for further debate (Zoe 2022). If passed, the legislation would go into effect for the 2022-2023 school year. As CBS Miami reports, HB 1557 prohibits instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, and, in other grade levels, bars discussion that is not "age or developmentally appropriate." It would also allow parents to sue school districts that go against the law" (Zoe 2022). Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Gov. Greg Abbott have outlawed gender-affirming health care for trans minors. In the drafted opinion letter in favor of the policy, drafted by Governor Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton they stated that: "As OAG Opinion No. KP-0401 makes clear, it is already against the law to subject Texas children to a wide variety of elective procedures for gender transitioning, including reassignment surgeries that can cause sterilization, mastectomies, removals of otherwise healthy body parts, and administration of puberty-blocking drugs or supraphysiologic doses of testosterone or estrogen. See TEX. FAM. CODE § 261.001(1)(A)–(D) (defining “abuse”). Texas law imposes reporting requirements upon all licensed professionals who have direct contact with children who may be subject to such abuse, including doctors, nurses, and teachers, and provides criminal penalties for failure to report such child abuse. See id. §§ 261.101(b), 261.109(a-1). There are similar reporting requirements and criminal penalties for members of the general public. See id. §§ 261.101(a), 261.109(a)." (Office of the Attorney General 2022) References BBC News. (2022, February 24). Florida House of Representatives passes “Don’t Say Gay” bill. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60514226 Office of the Attorney General. (2022). Whether certain medical procedures performed on children constitute child abuse Letter (Opinion No. KP-0401). Texas House of Representatives. https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/O-MastersJaime202202221358.pdf Stern, M. J. (2022, February 23). Texas’ Trans Kids Are Targets in a Brutal GOP Culture War. Slate Magazine. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/02/greg-abbott-transgender-children-health-care-ban.html Zoe, Z. (2022, February 25). Florida House passes controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-lgbtq-bill-controversy-dont-say-gay/