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Florida Passed a “Don’t Say Gay” Law. It’s Already Transforming Schools.
When HB1557, the new Florida law prohibiting any classroom instruction on “sexual orientation or gender identity” in kindergarten through third grade, became law in March, its supporters insisted that the “Don’t Say Gay” monicker that activists had bestowed on the law was inaccurate. Even though the preamble to the bill says that it prohibits not only instruction about sexual orientation but even the “discussion” of it, supporters said that the law would only prohibit teachers from teaching little kids about gay or trans issues, and that it would not prohibit gay teachers from mentioning they were gay or having pictures of their partners on their desks, or letting a kid with gay parents bring that up.
Well, school districts across Florida are now talking to teachers about the law and how it will affect their classrooms, and it turns out — to absolutely no one’s surprise — that many schools are going to require teachers to excise anything from their classrooms that might touch on gay issues. According to a story from TV station WFTV, attorneys for Orange County Public Schools told principals last week that teachers and staff members will not be allowed to wear rainbow articles of clothing, while elementary-school teachers with same-sex spouses have said they were “discouraged” from putting pictures of their spouses on…
