![what does the dont say gay bill say what does the dont say gay bill say](https://u2k3a4x7.stackpathcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/51-scaled.jpg)
“Even if teachers are not punished, they will chill their own speech, they will self-censor,” he said. Should the bill become law, Goldberg said he expects it to be challenged on First Amendment grounds almost immediately. “What is the teacher supposed to say? They’re probably not encouraging classroom discussion, but are they instructing?” “What if a parent walks in and they’re part of a same-sex couple, and somebody asks the teacher to explain that?” Goldberg said. While educators do not have unfettered authority over classroom discourse, not everything they say to their students is “scripted,” Kevin Goldberg, a First Amendment specialist with the nonprofit Freedom Forum, told Changing America, and there is a concern that teachers may inadvertently violate the law. In that case, the speech rights of teachers, while they are speaking informally, may be infringed upon. Brechner First Amendment Project at the University of Florida, told Changing America.īut Calvert warned of a very likely “chilling effect,” where teachers would be inclined to censor themselves over fear of retribution from parents, who under the bill would be granted greater authority to sue school districts believed to be in violation of “Don’t Say Gay.”Īccording to the text of the bill, school district personnel are required to encourage students to discuss matters like sexual orientation or gender identity with their parents, should those topics come up in the classroom. “When a teacher in the classroom in a public school is delivering the curriculum that they are assigned to teach, their First Amendment rights are going to be very limited in that context,” Clay Calvert, the director of the Marion B. While the bill’s new language does not prevent young students from communicating freely among themselves, what is now restricted is a teacher’s ability to chime in, though that in and of itself is not unconstitutional because the speech rights of public employees are already checked. The bill as it currently reads only restricts classroom “instruction” on gender identity and sexual orientation, compared to an earlier version which prohibited school districts from “encouraging” related discussions among students within school walls.
![what does the dont say gay bill say what does the dont say gay bill say](https://storiescdn.hornet.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/18100917/Dont-Say-Gay-Bill.png)
It’s a bit more complicated than that, experts say.
![what does the dont say gay bill say what does the dont say gay bill say](https://mediaproxy.salon.com/width/960/https://media.salon.com/2013/01/house.jpg)
Others say the bill represents a clear violation of the First Amendment, which protects the freedom of speech.Īmerica is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news. Many worry that the bill would have a detrimental impact on Florida’s LGBTQ+ youth, who already face greater rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicide. The bill’s easy passage through the state legislature so far has ignited national outrage, with students, LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, Hollywood actors and even the White House condemning it as hateful and dangerous. Ron DeSantis (R), where it is expected to be signed into law and take effect this summer. Should it be approved by Florida’s Republican-controlled Senate, it will head to the desk of Gov. The legislation, officially known as the Parental Rights in Education bill, would prevent primary school teachers from addressing sexual orientation or gender identity in a way that is “age inappropriate or developmentally inappropriate” for students.
#What does the dont say gay bill say full#
Ron DeSantis, who is expected to sign it into law.Īll eyes will be on Florida Monday as the so-called Don’t Say Gay bill goes before the full state Senate for consideration. The bill is scheduled for a floor vote in the state Senate Monday, where it is expected to pass, and will then move to the desk of Gov.First Amendment experts told Changing America that the legislation could possibly infringe on speech rights of teachers, even though their speech rights are already curbed as public employees.Questions have been raised as to whether Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill violates the First Amendment rights of teachers and students in public primary schools in the state.