I Don't Say 'Don't Say Gay' | Gay | HB 1557

It’s funny (like in the laugh instead of crying way) that I wrote a little piece on the dynamics of LGBTQ+ information in schools a little under a year ago. It’s on my webpage and I hope you read it! I didn’t write it because notable legislation was on the table or high-ranking government officials were making it a core of their campaign. I just felt that people on the right side of the political spectrum were brooding about children learning that Gay, Trans, etc, people exist in the world. And it was concerning to me as a gay man, but also as a parent, that hatred and/or discrimination might rise and be given a more prominant platform in the coming years. I usually love being right. But not so much on this one. Below are some of my extensive thoughts on Florida’s HB 1557, which was signed into law a few days ago…

My overarching feeling is this: HB 1557 is a microcosm of everything wrong with America’s Political Systems in 2022. Republicans and Democrats across the nation handled the legislation like they handle anything – poorly and with questionable motives. They didn’t really care about THE TRUTH or THE CHILDREN (excellent buzzwords), they only cared about political gain and power. I’ll explain how I think both sides got it wrong, and then declare who I see as the bigger “villain” in the matter.

WHY THE LEFT WAS WRONG: HB 1557 is more popularly known as the “Don’t Say Gay” Bill. The reason is simple: because the left wanted to run a ‘marketing campaign’ of sorts against the legislation in a way that painted the bill as something worse than it actually is. I’ll call it a mis-marketing campaign. There are several reasons for this, but the main one, if I had to guess is:

The Mis-Marketing Campaign Would Fire Up the Democratic Base, that generally wants to see acceptance and equality for LGBTQ+ folks in America, before the upcoming National Midterms. A majority of the country is pro Gay and Trans rights. If the Democrats can convince the general public that Republicans have gone insane and you literally can’t say the word “gay” in elementary schools, perhaps it will keep them from jumping across the isle come November, despite concerns around inflation. Trump was an unpopular right-wing extremist that didn’t subscribe to logic or the rule of law. Not all Republicans are like him; but the left wants you to think they are so they can win elections. HB 1557 does not ban the word “gay” in classrooms across Florida. I do not support the bill (more on that below), but I also want to acknowledge what the bill is. SNL even did a (quite funny) skit on the “Don’t Say Gay” Bill on one of their Weekend Update segments. But they outright lied about what is in the legislation. They aren’t responsible to inform us properly like our sitting Congressmen and Senators are. But things like this happen because of the mis-marketing tactic of naming it “Don’t Say Gay”. This is what they wanted to happen. It’s a straight-up misinformation campaign. They had plenty of ammunition to argue to the public why the bill was bad, which I’ll present some of below. And they could have done it with integrity. Unfortunately, Democrats don’t want people to know what the bill actually is – therefore, they’re standing against the truth. And that, from my perspective, is why they handled this all wrong.

WHY THE RIGHT WAS WRONG: Just like the left, Republicans are using this bill to fire up their base before the midterms. It’s the exact same thing, but opposite side of the spectrum. This is because they are fixing a problem that doesn’t exist. As a parent, I do not want my 5 to 8-year-old to learn about sexual practices in school (homo or hetero, for that matter); almost no parent does. I also don’t want my 5 to 8-year-old to learn about Jeffrey Dahmer, Pedophilia, or Hot-Button Political Issues of the day.

All of these have something in common – THEY’RE NOT BEING TAUGHT IN ANY K-3 CIRRICULUM IN FLORIDA. Should I say it again louder for those who choose to read stubbornly?? DeSantis signed a bill into law to prevent teachers from inappropriately instructing kids on their sexual orientation and gender identity. But that’s not something that’s regularly happening, in any standard classroom in America. And let’s say a teacher did disclose instructions on the specifics of gay sex to a kindergartener – what would happen then? Probably the same thing as if a teacher disclosed the specifics of straight sex to a 5-year old; They would be disciplined and hopefully removed from their position. The worst part is, those creating and passing the legislation know they're not fixing anything. Such is the problem with the modern Right-Wing movement; they’re fighting fabricated culture wars to fear-monger regular folks into voting for them, instead of solving or addressing actual problems.

And that’s why (as so often has been the case the last several years) The Republicans Are the Greater Villains in the case of HB 1557. Because while they may be pandering to their political base, just like the left – their fear mongering could have damaging consequences for LGBTQ+ people. That’s not even to mention the fact that the Bill itself doesn’t stand on its own two legs. The language is super vague and could be interpreted a million different ways of what is or isn’t allowed to be said by a teacher to their students.

There’s a backlash happening in this country to all the progress that has been made for Gay and Trans people in America over the last 10-years. The religious zealots are coming back with a vengeance. And they know they still have an ally in the Republican Party. Ron DeSantis, Trump, and other Republican Overlords very likely know that children aren’t being “instructed” by elementary school teachers to turn gay, trans, etc. And it’s certainly not happening in the curriculum, which HB 1557 would logically be attempting to address more head on. They just know that their base thinks it is happening. And the most extreme members of that base think being gay or trans is the worst thing that could possibly happen to their children - because they're bigots. The Republicans are going to exploit those misguided beliefs for power. They’re going to attack and disparage a demographic of people that has traditionally seen discrimination and social exclusion in America. And they’re going to sell it under the guise of “Parent’s Rights”. That's their own Mis-Marketing Campaign. It’s fu***d up, point blank. Because it will only drive further hatred and discrimination towards that group of people.

I am one of those people.

But more importantly, I am a parent. And the HB 1557 Bill and all the rhetoric around it, certainly did nothing to help me as one.

Frankly, it was never designed to.