Last week, Florida teens and their families, along with LGBTQ advocacy groups, filed a lawsuit against the state’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay Law.”
Well the stakes just got higher.
16 states are now suing Florida to block the Parental Rights in Education Bill, arguing the legislation harms students and faculty and lacks educational merit.
The plaintiffs include the District of Columbia, as well as New Jersey, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, and Oregon.
“It’s my job to stand up for people who are harmed by discrimination–and what harms Florida kids, parents, and teachers harms every one of us,” said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison in a statement.
“Essential to being able to live with dignity, safety, and respect is being able to say loud and clear who you are as a human being, to speak your truth. But under this law, Florida kids can’t speak their truth. Their parents can’t speak their truth. Teachers can’t speak their truth.”
When the bill was signed into law by Gov. DeSantis in March, proponents claimed its purpose was to limit early sex education in grades K-3. But the legislation also contained vague language about banning LGBTQ-themed conversations deemed “not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate.” Critics feared a door would open for varying interpretations that would directly harm LGBTQ students in all grades.
That door subsequently burst open, with some schools forcing teachers to remove signage indicating a classroom is a “safe space” for LGBTQ students, remove photographs of their same-sex spouses, and in some cases, mandating that teachers out students to their peers’ parents.
Related: Florida high school enacts insane new LGBTQ policy and everyone’s thinking the same thing
ymck
Still amazed at the number of people who went through the US school system that want teachers to teach kids about gender and sexual orientation. Nobody had a mean teacher? Nobody had a bad teacher? Also, how many teachers are up on the current science and philosophy? How many would teach that being gay or trans is a choice?
wikidBSTN
This is NOT about sex education. The bill prohibits any mention of anything gay or gay related – like mentioning that a kid has two fathers. It has nothing to do with SEX.
DarkZephyr
It still amazes me that people like you can read the articles they are commenting on, read what the ACTUAL concerns of opponents of this law are and you STILL try to paint the narrative as “people want teachers to teach kids about gender and sexual orientation”.
You’re so fake.
Mister P
DeSatan hates America
Steve9999
Your comment clearly shows how pathetically uniformed you are.
Please leave the room so the adults can have an coherent conversation.
ymck
BTW for the folks that are saying it about more than just class instruction, you are correct.
The lawsuit is clearly pushing for the radical idea that schools have a compelling interest in children’s lives over and above the parent/family. And not just general well-being, but calling out attitudes and mental health specifically.
How on earth folks think it a good idea to hand that level of control over teachers and the state is beyond me. It’s like folks don’t know gay history at all.
Cam
You always give all of your screenames away, do you just cut and paste the same comments?
Your troll game is sad and weak.
barryaksarben
wow, what are you doing here? As a gay kid I was bullied and not just by the other kids but by faculty and staff to say nothing of my sadistic PE coach. Learning just a tiny little bit would have done them all good. But no one taught anyone anything sexual in grade school and it wasn’t until puberty that even then we got the least information possible as they were too embarrassed to teach ab out sex which was ridiculous let alone sexual identity. No one is teaching small children about gay sex, they are teaching them to be kind to all and to be accepting of others which is a very worthwhile thing to teach all children. You have either been totally fooled by the mega nuts who have made this non-issue an issue or you are one of them. Either way you are not being honest
teebird
No one is advocating for it being taught. We’re advocating for not being forced to erase it. If a child came to a teacher wanting to discuss it they wouldn’t be allowed to with this law. Or if there is a gay child or transgender child in a class and other children are making fun of them now the teacher has no right to stand up for that child and explain to the other children that people come in all shapes and forms and colors and have just as much right to be respected as the others do. They aren’t allowed to teach tolerance. This bill will lead to so many suicides and so much bullying. Not only that but a teacher can’t even have a picture of their spouse now if they are the same gender. Republicans and all of their fears are setting our country back decades. I’m waiting on them to take the vote away from women next.
KatnissEvermore
One being Gay Lesbian Bisexual or Transgender is not a choice or a lifestyle that would like say being Straight is a lifestyle or a choice. It is a person is born. What Desantis is doing to Florida is criminal. No student or teacher should have deal with the hate Desantis and the Republicans of Florida are pushing on them.
dbmcvey
You really don’t know what’s going on.
Leo
Steve9999, when you have no argument, attack the person.
Cam
LOL!!! You forgot to switch back to your other screename before crying about Steve9999 mocking your first post.
You + Troll Game = Sad + Weak.
still_onthemark
To clarify the terminology here: These states + DC are not actually “suing” Florida as plaintiffs. They have filed an Amicus Curiae brief in support of the plaintiffs, “Equality Florida et al.”
itzallan
The anti-gay Florida law is similar to Russia’s “Gay Propaganda Law”. The justification is to “protect the children from homosexuality”. That’s an old, worn-out excuse that’s been used by anti-gay proponents like forever (e.g., Anita Bryant, who took it to great heights), and by people ignorant enough to believe it.
Hey bigots, if you really want to do some protecting, how about protecting children from something that actually threatens their lives and well-being; like, oh, I don’t know…GUNS! And while you’re at it, how about working to protect children from psychopaths that hate and want to destroy other people who aren’t like them. Oh, and stupidity, lots of that being slung around, and children need protection from that. There are a lot of far more worthy things to protect children from than homosexuality. If you could just for a moment step outside of your mind-limiting ideological stupor, maybe you could see the areas where the children need protection that may actually benefit them. Oh, what’s that? It’s really not about the children? It figures.
ryanmfarris
My experience is a normal straight man does not have this many issues with gay men, DeSantis is obsessed, when he finally comes out of the closet Florida will never be able to get rid of the dust bunnies
JRamonMc
It still boggles my mind that people actually think teachers are teaching sex education to K-3 students. Get a grip people. No teachers are grooming your kids in kindergarten or through 3rd grade. The extreme right has just polluted minds into thinking this.
JustMuscles1
Good. For a group of people who want government to butt out of their lives, aka the Conservative party, they sure are trying to govern a groups right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness! Sue their asses!
missvamp
I’m calling him desatan from now on!!
GayEGO
In 1970 Science declared the LGBTQ community to be part of NORMAL civilization. I was born gay and I remember being born which my mother verified. I had a crush on a boy when I was 5 years old. Let us hope our civilization continues to learn and evolve so that we will have a better life to live.
johncp56
He looks like a puppet with someones hand up his ass hoping they say the right thing, bloated tick of a man
cuteguy
He is catering to the hate filled MAGA losers and mission accomplished. He will now play the martyr just like those so called pro life m0rons. And now that the other states are suing him, well actually that dumpster ground state Florida, he is well positioned to continue to be a poster boy for Faux News and the GQP
SkyguyMD
Florida sure seems to be pulling more and more towards the radical right wing and DeSantis is really catering to the MAGA crowd that still supports a criminal who is being proven more and more every day that he did interfere in trying to overturn the 2020 election. It’s extremely sad that in a state filled with such diversity, that hate still prevails. I do believe that children should learn about differences in people from their parents first, but let’s face it, there are still so many right winged so called Christians that fear and hate the LGBTQ community. Children should be learning about that from parents like that? I’m not saying that the children at such a young age need to learn about sexuality but how about the fact that not all families are alike and defined in traditional ways. So, that way, they don’t have to look so puzzled when two Mommies or two Daddies are dropping off their classmates at school.