By Vincent Trinh ’25
With the passing of the “Don’t Say Gay” laws in Florida, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has called it a major win. However, was this a victory for the supporters of the bill or the LGBTQ advocates? I’ve been led to believe that the bill has almost achieved a balance in fulfilling the demands of both sides of the argument. The bill banned LGBTQ books and changed sex-ed to disclude LGBTQ curriculum. The bill also prohibited talk of LGBTQ in a classroom teaching environment and made it so that teachers are not required to speak on LGBTQ instruction. In terms of social justice, liberal LGBTQ advocates obtained the right to speak on sexuality and gender identity safely and openly in the classroom, while the more conservative teachers were relieved of LGBTQ instruction in their classrooms, which is why I am convinced that the revision of the Florida “Don’t Say Gay” bill has satisfied both parties to an extent, but favors the Republican side more.
Dissenters of the Republican Party oppose the bill for its harsh suppression of LGBTQ issues in the classroom. I, at first, shared the sentiment towards the oppressed children and teens. However, the “Don’t Say Gay” bill may not have fully earned its label. An article from NPR clarifies the full ramifications of the Florida Bill: “ The Florida law bars classroom instruction about sexual orientation or gender identity for kindergarten through third-grade students, while for older students the law requires discussion to be ‘age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate.’” As stated before, I was under the impression that this bill had silenced the voices of all teens who live as LGBTQ+, but kindergarten through third-grade students is a very reasonable age range to be cautious on the topic of LGBTQ+ identities as it is a sexual topic. Children in that age range shouldn’t be learning about reproductive topics or sexuality lessons at such a young age. These kids can barely choose what their favorite transformer is and still can’t decide whether they want to be a ninja or a secret agent. They are immature and under-developed to be forced to learn such a mature and more preteen or teen-relevant topic.
LGBTQ advocates speaking against the bill have been keen to leave out parent participation when it comes to the discussion of LGBTQ child development. I was estranged by this and decided to do more research on why this is. What I found is that the majority of the opposers of the bill are under the impression that parent intervention would prevent the child from expressing themselves truly. An example of intervention would be the oppression of gay expression in the household. They fail to have any trust or acknowledgment of a parent’s role in the development of their children. An article from ABC News details the Florida Bill writing, “A supporter of the bill said the rule ‘strengthens the relationship between parents and children, by leaving very personal important conversations within the home between students and their families.” While they may have some point that conservative parents may not be as open to progressive parenting, this does not mean we should remove them from the equation. Instead of kicking the parents to the curb, we should be encouraging parents to participate in this critical time of a child’s development. Putting aside the pessimistic notion of “ultra-conservative” parents from supporters of the bill that suggest non-progressive parent retaliation, there will be parents who will support the child. Those parents will make a real difference in the lives of the LGBTQ youth.
Almost all of the Democratic-leaning newspapers have insinuated that the demand for discussion of LGBTQ in the classroom derives from the educators. A survey from Pew Research says otherwise; “A smaller share (14%) say students should learn that whether someone is a boy or a girl is determined by the sex they were assigned at birth. Half of teachers say students should not learn about gender identity in school at all.” The survey shows that there is a higher demand for gender identity not to be taught in schools by teachers. Despite this, Democrats will make it seem as if a majority of teachers would agree on teaching LGBTQ issues in schools. More teachers disagree with teaching LGBTQ issues in elementary schools than those who agree, meaning that the Democratic claim from “rainbow” teachers is insufficient and fails to address the full scope of the teacher consensus on the topic.
The bigger picture reveals itself when we break away from the “sobbing sympathetic” image painted by Democratically-leaning papers and dissenters of the Florida Bill. It would seem that the bill is not as harsh or as oppressive as presented. Studies even suggest that the bill’s aims are factored in by the majority of educators. At the same time, parent participation in the development of an LGBTQ child is pushed to the side. Despite the pessimistic reasoning of the left, a parent is and will always be crucial to the development of a child. Last but not least, a recent survey shows that teachers have a strong opinion against LGBTQ topics being taught in the classrooms of K-3rd grade kids. Now that these details have come to light, I can affirm that the revised Florida Bill fulfills the demands of Republicans to a reasonable degree, and isn’t as bad as the left makes it out to be.
The Raider Press 