Florida: Don’T Say Gay? Yes/No?

The Florida government has passed a new bill that bans schools from holding classroom instruction about sexual orientation or gender identity. Is this a good idea? The argument behind it is that it allows parents to work through these issues with their kids rather than letting them unfold in school where apparently something might go wrong.

If you could vote directly on this policy to ban schools from holding classroom instruction about sexual orientation, would you vote for it or against it?

Okay, what does this bill actually propose to do? According to this article from NPR:

The bill, which some opponents have called “Don’t Say Gay,” was signed by DeSantis on Monday. It reads, “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.”

Why do the people behind the bill think it’s a good idea?

Supporters of the legislation say it’s meant to allow parents to determine when and in what way to introduce LGBTQ topics to their children. It also gives parents an option to sue a school district if the policy is violated.

What does Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis have to say about it?

During a press conference ahead of signing the law, DeSantis said teaching kindergarten-aged kids that “they can be whatever they want to be” was “inappropriate” for children.

He said, “It’s not something that’s appropriate for any place, but especially not in Florida.”

Where did the “don’t say gay” expression come from?

The “Don’t Say Gay” moniker comes from critics of the measure who blast this idea and insist this policy will hurt LGBTQ children.

DeSantis and other supporters gathered for the bill signing called this messaging “sloganeering” and referred to efforts to educate students about LGBTQ issues as part of “woke gender ideology.”

What does the research tell us about how people are treated based on their gender?

Studies have shown that LGBTQ youth already face higher health and suicide risks than their cisgender or straight peers. When those kids are given access to spaces that affirm their gender identity, they report lower rates of suicide attempts, according to The Trevor Project.

Some of the research was done by the Trevor Group. This is what they had to say about it:

The Trevor Project condemned the signing of the bill saying the bill erases “LGBTQ identity, history, and culture — as well as LGBTQ students themselves.”

The group also critiqued the policy’s parental notification requirements. The law requires parents to be the first to be notified of any health or support services offered.

It also seems like the parental notification requirements might have some unintended consequences.

The Trevor Project says these provisions, “appear to undermine LGBTQ support in schools and include vague parental notification requirements, which could effectively require teachers to ‘out’ LGBTQ students to their legal guardians without their consent, regardless of whether they are supportive.”

It’s interesting to see that Disney has taken a proactive stand against this bill.

Leading up to the bill’s signing, critics, which include The Walt Disney Company, lambasted Florida lawmakers for the legislation.

On Monday, a spokesperson said in a statement that the company hopes the law is repealed or struck down in court.

“Florida’s HB 1557, also known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, should never have passed and should never have been signed into law,” the statement read. “Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that.”

This is my personal opinion on this issue:

The key assumption here is whether you are born the way you are or whether you can be convinced to be something different. We know that people that knew they were gay but tried to suppress it couldn’t suppress it. The Florida government has obviously decided to take take the view that kids can be convinced to be something that they are not so they want to prevent the conversation from happening. I don’t see any issue with these conversations happening. The much bigger issue is what is being said in these conversations and making sure that they have a positive impact on kids and society.

I’ve created a listing on the One Direct Democracy platform so that we can develop ideas about What should kids be taught about sexual orientation in school and when? You can add your own ideas or vote and comment on ideas from other people. You can also create your own listings for people to vote on. It’s a simple way to get used to using the One Direct Democracy system. 

So that’s the summary of the key issues.

If you could vote directly on this proposed policy to extend the pause on student loan repayments, would you vote for it or against it?

The reality is that we have reached a point in time in our evolution where Representative Democracy no longer serves the will of the people.

That’s why I created One Direct Democracy. It’s a movement for upgrading the global democratic system by taking the power away from politicians and putting it in the hands of the people by using direct democracy.

I’ve created the technology, a framework for direct democracy and a plan for how to make it happen. We don’t have to convince any politicians or powerful people to do anything to make this happen. We have the power to do it on our own. We just have to decide to do it.

Direct Democracy is the purest form of democracy.

Representative Democracy is an outdated blunt instrument.

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