“Parents and communities want to exercise forms of censorship to stop their children from knowing about how the world is being organized and how different people are living their lives.” 150+ anti-LGBT proposalsĪ separate CNN analysis by Giselle Rhoden includes a map of more than 150 anti-LGBT bills introduced at the state level so far this legislative session. “There’s a fantasy going on that children are being indoctrinated,” Butler told CNN. He talked to the UC Berkeley philosopher and gender theorist Judith Butler about how with both the “Parental Rights” and “Individual Freedom” bills, Republicans are tapping into parents’ fears. These fears are unfoundedĬNN’s Brandon Tensley looked at this issue in his Race Deconstructed newsletter.
“We’re going to make sure that parents are able to send their kid to kindergarten without having some of this stuff injected into their school curriculum,” he said. It’s an old, tired and ridiculous argument that has been used to smear members of the LGBT community in previous debates over issues like same-sex marriage.Īt the news conference where he challenged the reporter, DeSantis said the bill was about protecting kids. This is how it works, Democrats, and I didn’t make the rules.”
“If you’re against the Anti-Grooming Bill, you are probably a groomer or at least you don’t denounce the grooming of 4-8 year old children. Supporters of the bill say it’s innocuous, but they don’t think the bill is meaningless.ĭeSantis’ spokesperson, Christina Pushaw, absurdly said on Twitter that the bill would protect kids from “grooming” and that opponents of the bill are “probably groomers,” using a slang term for pedophiles: The threat of lawsuits brought against school boards would certainly have a chilling effect on teachers and what they say in classrooms.Īctivists on the left and right have filled in the blanks, with some making the case the bill discriminates against LGBT people. But vague legislation can have massive consequences. Here’s what the pertinent portion of the bill does say:Ĭlassroom 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. “It doesn’t matter what critics say.” What does it say? “Does it say that in the bill? Does it say that in the bill? I’m asking you to tell me what’s in the bill, because you are pushing false narratives,” DeSantis said. Don’t say ‘Don’t Say Gay’ to DeSantisĭeSantis grew agitated Monday at the Florida Strawberry Festival when a reporter asked him about the phrase - “Don’t Say Gay” - that critics have applied to the bill. He now plans to take LGBTQ+ leaders from the company, a major Florida employer, to meet with DeSantis before he signs it. The CEO of Disney faces serious backlash after he initially refrained from criticizing the bill. “It is certainly something that is not helping, you know, young people who are members of the LGBTQI+ community who are already vulnerable, already being bullied,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said when asked about the Florida legislation in February. Students in Florida organized protests at schools and the state Capitol.
The proposal that has been dubbed by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill has become the subject of an intense opposition campaign. This new bill, however, is supposed to protect “ individual freedom.” It would prohibit Florida’s public schools and private businesses from making people feel “guilt, anguish, or other forms of psychological distress” based on their races, sexes or national origins. While the legislation doesn’t specifically mention critical race theory - an academic theory already banned in Florida that is mostly taught in colleges and graduate programs and that acknowledges that racism is systemic and institutional in American society - a bill analysis by state Senate staff highlights the teaching of critical race theory as something that would be prohibited, according to CNN’s Steve Contorno. Another bill that passed Florida’s Senate on Thursday would prohibit instruction that says certain races or sexes are privileged or oppressed.