‘Don’t Say Gay’ amendment forcing schools to out students is withdrawn but the bill continues to advance in Florida

In a statement, the state representative explained that “the exaggeration and misrepresentation in reporting about the amendment was a distraction; all the amendment did was create procedures around how, when and how long information was withheld from parents so that there was a clear process and kids knew what to expect.

“Nothing in the amendment was about outing a student. Rather than battle misinformation related to the amendment, I decided to focus on the primary bill that empowers parents to be engaged in their children’s lives,” he added. 

However, LGBTQ+ activists are concerned that, should House Bill 1557 and its companion Senate Bill 1834, formally called “Parental Rights in Education”, pass into law it could have a devastating impact on the metal health of LGBTQ+ youth, with some campaigners warning that schools may be the only safe place for some kids to talk about their sexuality.

The underlying bill stipulates that schools  “may not encourage classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students”.

Research conducted by The Trevor Project indicates that LGBTQ+ youth are already four times “more likely to seriously consider, make a plan for, or attempt suicide than their peers” and that “at least one LGBTQ youth between the ages of 13–24 attempts suicide every 45 seconds in the U.S.”

USA Today reports that a poll conducted Feb. 7-20 and released by the Public Opinion Research Lab at the University of North Florida found overall support for the measure at around 40%. 

“When we break it down by party registration, we see 54% of Republicans supporting the bill, which is more in line with Florida’s Republican-controlled legislature,” said Dr. Michael Binder, Public Opinion Research Lab Director. 

Rep. Carlos G Smith, Florida’s first LGBTQ+ Latino legislator, said that despite the removal of the “sinister, malicious, unconscionable amendment” the bill is still not “OK at all in any way, shape or form”, also tweeting that it “deliberately puts LGBTQ youth in harms’ way.”

Currently, four US states – Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas – have laws on the books that expressly prohibit or limit sex education to heterosexual activity.