Families in Florida are said to be suing over the recently-enacted “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which they believe will force teenagers to self-censor themselves in schools. The lawsuit which is targeted at the teens’ school districts argues that the ruling “effectively silences and erases LGBTQ+ students and families” by prohibiting the discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation.
Two couples and their children, including LGBT activist and high school senior Will Larkins, are going after their school, contending that refusing people the right to talk about healthy and important matters concerning gay and trans issues and/or historical events would do more harm than good in the long run.
Y’all need to understand what they’re doing in Florida. They are attempting to forcefully detransition trans youth. They’ve mandated forced outing of trans students to their parents and peers. The standards include social transition meaning even gender non conformance is banned.
— Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) July 31, 2022
“I am concerned that this law will eviscerate any hope of healthy and important discussions about LGBTQ+ issues or historical events, which are already lacking in our schools,” Will expressed in a statement. Florida Governor Rob DeSantis signed the “Parental Rights in Education” bill into law in March, subsequently banning any school teachers from discussing or teaching children the aforementioned topics in classrooms.
“We will make sure that parents can send their kids to school to get an education, not an indoctrination,” Rob said before signing the bill.
Well, according to the lawsuit, filed by Lambda Legal, Southern Poverty Law Center, Southern Legal Counsel, and Baker McKenzie, any parent has the right to take legal action and due the school district if they are not satisfied with the implementation of the law.
Two other plaintiffs Vikranth Gongidi and David Dinan continued to add, “We are deeply concerned about the negative effect that HB 1557 has upon our family. The law limits our speech and our expression.
157 members of Congress voted not to codify the right to same-sex marriage.
All of my GOP opponents supported Florida’s Don’t Say Gay bill.
It’s clear where they stand on this issue. I will defeat them in November.
— Eddie Geller (@gellered) August 1, 2022
“The law forces us to self-censor for fear of prompting responses from our children’s teachers and classmates that would isolate our children and make them feel ashamed of their own family. It also causes irreparable harm to our children and to their development.”
The suit declared, “This vigilante enforcement mechanism, combined with the law’s intentionally vague and sweeping scope, invites parents who oppose any acknowledgment whatsoever of the existence of LGBTQ+ people to sue, resulting in schools acting aggressively to silence students, parents, and school personnel.
“The law, by design, chills speech and expression that have any connection, however remote, to sexual orientation or gender identity.”