The don't say gay bill

There's a lot of misconception about this bill. I did my research so that I would know what is going on. I definitely encourage you do the same. Before I start, I want to say that I am neutral when it comes to the bill so I will tell the facts first then give my opinion. I am getting all of my information from news articles, so let's start.

This bill is in Florida and is really called Parental Rights in Education bill. The bill says that parents have control in what their children learn in the classroom. I believe this affects all schools, from preschool to high school. The bill will limit what classrooms can teach about sexual orientation and gender identity. Certain lessons on the topic "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." The bill also states, "a school district 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.” The bill would also allow parents to sue the school for teaching on the topics. An additional amendment to the bill would further require schools to disclose whether a child is LGBT+ to their parents within six weeks of learning the student's identity. The bill will not take effect until July 1st if it to fully pass.

Here's the takeaway. This could be dangerous depending on the parents and who is in charge with the schools. I do agree with the fact that we have to make LGBT conversations age appropriate. What I fear is that they may teach the kids miss information or some weird version to keep both liberals and conservatives happy. If you give the parents power to sue it may get out of hand. You may have conservatives suing over the mere mention of the word gay. It is dangerous to give the school staff the power to tell the student's parent if they're a part of the LGBT community. It's also not the schools place to tell a child's parent if they may be LGBT.

If the staff discloses the LGBT identity of a student it could lead to the student being hurt, killed or kicked out of the house. I don't understand what telling the parents this type of information will accomplish. Parents aren't always accepting of LGBT children. It should also be the child's choice whether or not they come out of the rainbow closet. Plus, what would happen if the school disclosed false information on a hunch or a rumor then something bad happened the student?

I think we need to find middle ground, but we all know that there is no middle ground once things get political. Kids, sexuality and gender identity should not be political. Kids should be kids, not objects to use for political gain. With sexual and gender identity, it's personal and should stay out of government and political activity.

So how is this legal? Technically it's not under the first amendment. Sadly, teachers have limited first amendment rights. This is why teachers get fired if they post certain pictures on social media. School districts make the decision on what can and can't be taught, and teachers must follow it. So, this bill will not hold much weight because teachers are already restricted. The only thing it will do is make them even more scared to say the wrong thing. We already put teachers through a lot and this is going to make it worse.

I don't usually post political stuff, but I want to make sure people get the right information. I don't want any to be sent to me so if you get my email off my profile don't send me hate if you do you will be blocked. This page is about acceptance and love. This means love and acceptance of yourself and others. No hate will be tolerated.