Bill invalidates LGBTQ community

Porsha Miller

The Don’t say gay bill was released around March of 2022 by Governor Ron DeSantis. The bill stops the teaching and the speaking of anything LGBTQ+ or sexual orientation. 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”. Today I took th time to interview Sponsors of the GSA club and ask them how the felt.

The following questions were;

  1. How do you feel about the “Don’t Say Gay” bill ?
  2. Do you think this bill is a way to invalidate queer individuals?
  3. If you could do anything to prevent or avoid this matter, what would it be ?

I started of by asking Dr. Hipol, he replied by saying he wanted to do more research on the topic. He further added that since he is not an American citizen he doe not know if it is his right to speak on the law. However, he did comment that he feels that bill isn’t up to us and we cannot control how ones feel. He knew from a young age that he gay, Hipol then recommended this co-worker, and Sponsor Ms. Caslow.

Caslow started off by saying “Although I’m not allowed to talk about my political opinion, I believe it obvious about the way I treat my students, whether race, sexual orientation, or preference, the bill violates that.”

Ms. Caslow answered the second questions by stating she believes that for many individuals, school is the only safe place they have, therefore limiting the topic that students or adults are allowed to talk about can limit access to the community every student deserves. I also agreed with her statement, a lot of queer students are still in hiding or in other words “closeted” so with no longer having the space to talk about the matter could lead to mental health issues.

Ms. Caslow ending the conversation by answering the last question “If you could do anything to prevent or avoid this matter, what would it be ?”  she said “I would tell everyone of voting age to make sure they are well informed on the policies of the people they are voting for and to keep in mind they aren’t just voting for themselves, but they children that you intend to protect and love”.

What are your thoughts on the “Don’t say gay” bill?