Florida’s controversial ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill was debated by the state’s Senate yesterday, and things got pretty emotional.
Aimed at schools, HB 1557 seeks to ban the discussion of LGBTQ topics mainly at the primary grade level. However, it will also limit discussion when “not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students”.
One of those to speak yesterday was the state’s only out, gay Senator, Shevrin Jones. He came out in 2018, aged 34, after being in an opposite-sex marriage for several years.
Previous to the debate, he’d posted a photo of himself with the word ‘gay’ taped over his mouth.
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The FL Senate will take up the Parental Rights (Don’t Say Gay) bill tomorrow on the floor. As the 1st LGBTQ person elected to the Senate in FL’s history, I want to remind my colleagues that I am not a hypothetical, I sit in the same room w/ you, and your actions and words matter. pic.twitter.com/aalHzCjPoD
— Shevrin “Shev” Jones (@ShevrinJones) March 6, 2022
Related: WATCH: Hundreds of Florida students walk out of class chanting “WE SAY GAY”
In the chamber yesterday, Jones spoke movingly about his own struggles to come out. He also said he was greatly moved by the number of young people who showed up outside the Senate to protest against the bill.
“Thoughts ran through my mind after I lost my brother, because I never got a chance to tell him. So I ask you all, whatever this bill is supposed to do, let this bill do that…but please, do no harm.”@shevrinjones , FL’s first openly-LGBTQ State Sen., with powerful remarks. pic.twitter.com/sz1j6hoqDl
— Equality Florida (@equalityfl) March 7, 2022
Jones became overwhelmed talking about his father, pastor and former West Park Mayor Eric Jones. His dad has recently written a book in which he talks about the death of Shevrin’s brother, Kaneil. However, another part of the book discusses the disappointment he felt when Shevrin came out.
An emotional Jones says, “It was my dad talking about his disappointment. After me, after taking 30 years, of just wanting to make him and my mom proud. And just coming out and saying who I am.
“So when I see these kids, I don’t think y’all understand how much courage it takes to show up every day,” Jones said. “Imagine living your life for 30 years and you coming to your parents and you talk about who you are. And you’re lying to them about who you are.”
“I never wanted to disappoint my dad,” Jones said, breaking down again. “I even told him to watch this today.”
“I don’t think you understand that even re-running for office, it was difficult because people call you names, people saying things to you,” he said. “And all you want to do is serve.
“I never knew that living my truth would cause church members to leave my dad’s church or friends to stop talking to me or families to make jokes about who you are.”
He added: “I ask that you open up your hearts a tad bit. Don’t think about whether you can get re-elected or not.”
Jones was one of several Democrats to propose changes to the bill in an attempt to soften it. His proposed amendment added a clarification that prohibited school instruction “intended to change a student’s sexual orientation or gender identity”. That amendment failed on a 22-16 vote, as did other proposed alterations.
One of the chief supporters of the bill is GOP Senator Dennis Baxley. He argued against a proposed amendment by Democrat Senator Gary Farmer to remove language about sexual orientation and gender identity from HB 1557. Baxley objected, saying this “actually pretty much guts the bill.”
Baxley was asked why the legislation focused on sexual orientation and gender identity instead of topics such as drugs and suicide—issues others believe shouldn’t be discussed with primary school kids. The Senator said he believed too many kids were “experimenting” these days or coming out for instant celebrity status.
After hours of denying his bill singled out gays, Senator @dennisbaxley admitted the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill was drafted because he was personally concerned so many kids today identify as gay and see themselves as “celebrities.” @CBSMiami pic.twitter.com/VI9cGiBNiN
— Jim DeFede (@DeFede) March 8, 2022
In a separate part of the debate, Baxley said, “the definition of sexual orientation for me is male and female.”
“Well, you’re going a little deeper than I want to go, sexual orientation to me is male and female 🤷🏼”
Don’t Say Gay bill sponsor, FL State Senator @dennisbaxley https://t.co/TwDElxAkQR pic.twitter.com/CEVTXp9DYw
— Florida Planned Parenthood Action (@FAPPA) March 8, 2022
HB 1557 is expected to pass the Republican-controlled Senate today. Governor Ron DeSantis has already indicated he supports the bill as it stands. Yesterday, he lashed out at a reporter who asked him if he supported the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ legislation, saying, “We’re going to make sure that parents are able to send their children to kindergarten without having some of this stuff injected into their curriculum.”
JUST NOW: I asked @GovRonDeSantis if he supported HB 1557, the legislation critics call the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill.https://t.co/CGiooSrKYn @WFLA https://t.co/H34CGSj7BJ pic.twitter.com/C518l1QaC3
— Evan Donovan (@EvanDonovan) March 7, 2022
SamB
Good for DeSantis for not taking the bait. It’s NOT called the “Don’t say Gay” Bill. People are ridiculous.
Bosch
Speaking of bait…
Eternal.Cowboy
You seem to really gravitate toward weak men that are trying to overcompensate. The other instance of this was your defense of of Trump when he was praising Putin. BTW, he doubled down on that praise. So while you seemed to think you were the Trump Whisperer that understood what he was really saying, you apparently aren’t.
Anyway, It seems pretty common for weaker guys to really fall in line behind the Trumps of the world because they confuse being a blowhard with being strong and they wish they were like that. It’s just kind of sad.
Cam
The right wing troll account continually scans this site, so the SECOND there is a post about somebody fighting against anti-LGBTQ bigotry and hate it can come in here and defend the bigots and attack the victims.
Not only is your troll game sad and weak, it’s also predictable. How sad for you.
Bosch
@eternal in my language we have a saying: type attracts type. He clearly sees himself in these men.
SamB
Bosch: See that? He’s obsessed with me.
Cowboy: Trump is GONE. Done! Stop using him as a scapegoat for everything going bad now under Biden. The only people keeping Trump alive is you and people like you.
I’m talking about DeSantis who was being poked at but he didn’t take the bait, but you did. What else can I make you do?
SamB
Bosch: Your saying is accurate but it’s not necessarily bad. Of course you side with people you align more with, so the saying is accurate for your alliance with Cowboy. Be careful of him though, he doesn’t have a grasp of what is being said and makes up stories to try and big himself up.
As far as me bringing up the Clinton’s I can almost guarantee you that it’s a response to someone saying “Look how corrupt is republican is” I do it to show them that it’s not just one side that’s corrupt.
Bosch
“Be careful of him though, he doesn’t have a grasp of what is being said and makes up stories to try and big himself up.”
If I wore glasses, I’d move them to the tip of my nose so I could stare at you over the brim.
SamB
Bosch: I know what I’m saying and I don’t make things up, so keep your phantom glasses up.
kish
Are you not able to see the implications of this bill. The ramifications?
Either you have nothing better to do than to troll, or there is a serious deficit in comprehension.
Polaro
It isn’t call the Don’t Say Gay bill, you are right. It’s still a terrible piece of legislation.
Eternal.Cowboy
“Cowboy: Trump is GONE. Done! Stop using him as a scapegoat for everything going bad now under Biden. The only people keeping Trump alive is you and people like you.”
When did I use Trump to scapegoat anything under Biden?
Bosch
“I know what I’m saying and I don’t make things up, so keep your phantom glasses up.”
I might have believed this if I hadn’t spent the last month in debates with you.
SamB
Bosch: At least you debate. We won’t agree on most things because we differ as far as the importance of how someone feels and how much weight to put on that. Other things too, so we’ll never see eye to eye but I have to say I don’t recall any tie you were dismissive like Cowboy, but bless his little heart, he tries.
Bosch
Wow Sam. You are as friendly as you are intelligent.
SamB
Bosch: Oops! You proved me wrong, you are dismissive.
Eternal.Cowboy
“Cowboy: Trump is GONE. Done! Stop using him as a scapegoat for everything going bad now under Biden. The only people keeping Trump alive is you and people like you.”
Still waiting for you to show where I did this….
Ironic that you made the above claim that you can’t back in the same thread where you said this:
“I know what I’m saying and I don’t make things up”
The list of things you have made up just keeps growing.
Also, was dismissive on your word of the day calendar? It seems like you recently came across the word and trying to work it in everywhere. Same with “Bless your heart” which you keep using incorrectly.
SamB
Cowboy: Awe…. Bless your heart, you really try.
DarkZephyr
So you praise a dude with a vast history of homophobia, then you are dismissive of the harm this bill can and most likely WILL do to young LGBT kids. As expected.
Chrisk
So there it is. The bills sponsor is concerned about all the kids coming out, won’t “dilute it” with removing the lgbt and making it about adult topics, and most importantly he just doesn’t believe in LGBT orientation.
Nice to see them expose themselves about what this is all about. This bill is as phony as their religious freedom laws.
Cam
Republicans hope that if you can erase any mention of LGBTQ people, that it will go back to the 1930s, when everyone just stayed in the closet, and were in fake marriages.
Republicans hate LGBTQ people. They love Russia and Putin because it’s a nearly all white country where LGBTQ people are brutalized. Republicans hate America because we are moving away from that.
Mister P
The common name is most certainly “Don’t say Gay. “
The idea is to try to erase the whole LGBT+ community.
Sam B is ridiculous.
SamB
Common only for people like you and the mainstream media. It’s bill is really called Parental Rights in Education.
And no where in the bill does it say you can’t say gay.
Chrisk
SamB
“The bill would prohibit schools from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity with students”
Why do you keep lying?
Polaro
Sam, there are good battles and then there is this loser of a bill. It is not an honest attempt to address the necessary balance between education and undo influence. It certainly does harm to creating a safe space for all children. I’d pick a different hill to die on.
Bosch
“the mainstream media”
That phrase is the modern equivalent of a tin-foil hat.
SamB
ChrisK: I’ve read the bill. Read it and show me where it says expressly that saying gay is not allowed.
SamB
Bosch: You’re right, it makes people sound like conspiracy theorists but really it’s just knowing that the major news outlets are not unbiased. Whether right leaning or left.. it’s hard to find one that’s centrist.
Maybe wherever you’re from they’re balanced but here they are not. People have to watch different opinions and views and read both sides in order to get a more clearer picture. Like the Covington kids… a small clip shows a MAGA kid all smug and standing up to a Native guy…. but when you saw the FULL clip, the Native guy approached the kid and the kid didn’t know what to do. Because of that he’s a multimillionaire and good for him for suing.
Cam
@SamB
Will always lie to defend anti-LGBTQ bigots.
The adorable thing is, you think you aren’t an obvious troll pushing bigotry. Please, I’ve asked you before, PLEASE tell your manager at the troll farm to put someone smarter on this account. You’re just terrible at this.
strap2900
How is this this law even legal? Doesn’t it go against the constitution and freedom of speech?
Prax07
Here’s to hoping someone, someday, catches SamB in a dark deserted alleyway. Hopefully they’ll be carrying a rusty pipe.
The Accidental Polemicist
“One of the truest signs of maturity is the ability to disagree with someone while still remaining respectful.” – Dave Willis
Mister P
So I guess you only find fault with people calling it don’t say gay.
There is much more wrong with it then that.
GayEGO
I say keep the sex stuff private, teach about relationships!
DarkZephyr
I agree, but they treat our very relationships as though they are too pornographic for kids to ever know about. When the dems tried to have it explicitly state “sex ed” and make it include ALL sexual conversation and not just LGBT themed content, the Florida GOP shot them down. They are bound and determined to make this solely about LGBT issues.
James
SamB DOES NOT BELONG HERE.
How do we know he does not have a gun and intends to KILL GAY PEOPLE.
The Accidental Polemicist
Said the the tolerance and diversity lover.
DarkZephyr
@SamB you are defending a bill that treats the LGBT community as a dirty secret that is too “adult” in nature for kids in 3rd grade and under. Is that how you feel about yourself and the man that I assume you love? Do you think if a grade schooler learned that you had a boyfriend, that would be tantamount to showing them graphic Sex Ed materials?
I can’t wrap my head around your claim to be a proud gay man and your easy acceptance of this bill and what it implies. It doesn’t mesh or make any sense.
Also, have you failed to notice how homophobic nearly every online defender of this bill tends to be? Most of the people I have come across who are excited about this bill call people like us “Deviant”. Why are people like that so excited about this bill, SamB? I mean…if its so innocuous and wholesome to you? That Baxter jerk is a prime example! Blatant homophobes LOVE this bill and when it was suggested that the language be retooled to be less homophobic, Baxter said “that guts the bill”.
And is it TRULY lost on you that the man who came up with this bill has a vast history of trying to pass homophobic legislation? You think he suddenly changed his stance?
The Accidental Polemicist
This bill simply prohibits classroom discussions on any sexual orientation or identity for children in kindergarten through third grade. It does not single out any specific word, including the word “gay,” despite the left’s false framing.
“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,” the bill’s text reads in part.
I think the bigger question is, “Why do grown, non-family members want to discuss sexual matters with five year olds?
DarkZephyr
I think an even bigger question is why is that where you’re brain went? Is it simply wired that way? Another is, why are you answering a question I asked someone else? You can’t answer him.
At any rate, I’m not a teacher, nor do I work in education. I won’t be going into any classroom settings and discussing anything at all with any kids, but I am certainly perfectly allowed to voice my opinion about a bill that I firmly believe will be harmful to the LGBT community, especially kids. Now…I am not a moron and I am going to assume that you aren’t a moron either. If you try to tell me that language like “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” is not in any way aimed at the LGBT community, you are full to the brim with poo.
The Accidental Polemicist
Aside from your childish ad hominem attacks, when are you going to answer my question?
jt1990
If this craziness must continue, at least keep the kids from discussing alterations to their real gender. Sex changes at any age are unnecessary, but genital mutilation before puberty even sets in is a particularly bad idea.