Florida representatives have recently just passed a bill known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. This bill was introduced by Florida state Rep. Joe Harding

This bill would limit the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in classes. It would ban teachers in Florida from speaking about LGBTQ+ topics that are not “age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.”

If a teacher was to speak on any of these topics among their students, students can report this to their parents and parents can sue the school or teacher if they feel as though their child is negatively affected by this. 

Some fear that this bill being put into place would prevent the study of LGBTQ+ oppression, history, and discussions. 

A student at Santaluces who is a member of the LGBTQ+ community says, “This bill is useless. I don’t see a reason why a bill should be passed on what teachers can and can not say about something that is talked about across the world. This bill is just going to scare kids from being comfortable with their sexual identity.”

Personally, I believe that it’s unethical to pass a bill like this. There’s nothing that is really being gained from this. If a number of students were affected by the discussion on LGBTQ+, then that just causes more problems to the school district, resulting in them being constantly sued. 

A teacher should be able to speak on a topic that has been through so much and educate students on information regarding the LGBTQ+ community.