Forced Disclosure Amendment Withdrawn From Controversial “Don’t Say Gay” Bill

Tallahassee, FL – A controversial amendment that could have disclosed a student’s sexual orientation to their parents is withdrawn from an already controversial bill known as “Don’t Say Gay.” The amendment and bill in question were introduced by Rep. Joe Harding (R-Ocala) and required schools to inform parents about “child-specific information” within six weeks of a student informing school personnel about their orientation. The amendment attempted to set up a protocol to engage in open-dialogue “in a safe, supportive, and judgment-free environment,” but removed protections for students who could have been subject to abuse or neglect by their families. The amendment was filed on Friday (Feb. 18) but was removed just before the state House met for a question and answer session on Tuesday (Feb. 22). The amendment would have tacked onto Florida’s controversial parents’ rights bill, HB 1557, which seeks to prohibit discussion of sexuality and gender identity for younger students, and even for older students unless the topic is deemed age-appropriate. Rep. Fentrice Driskell (D-Tampa), a member of the state House Judiciary Committee, questioned Harding about the amendment during a rather tumultuous and contentious committee meeting on Friday; a meeting that featured a number of impassioned speakers for and against the amendment. “I don’t know what we thought we were going to accomplish with this bill,” said Driskell. “(Harding), whatever you intended this bill to be, it’s not that anymore.” Harding responded to Driskell by saying he believes in setting boundaries of what’s appropriate at an early age. “I think that’s an appropriate conversation,” said Harding. The amendment and the bill also received considerable backlash from a number of other state lawmakers, including Florida’s first openly gay Latino legislator, Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith (D-Winter Park). “We are a healthy and normal part of any society and of any school in the state of Florida,” said Smith. “We exist and conversations about us are not dangerous. And saying that they are sends a very dangerous message in and of itself to our most vulnerable youth.” House Speaker Chris Sprowls spoke in support of the bill and said it limits the discussion of topics only for younger students. “If a first grader walked in here and started talking about sex education, I would think that all of the people in this room would agree that’s not appropriate for a six-year-old to learn about.” The bill comes at a time when recent studies found that LGBTQ+ students are four times as likely to attempt suicide. A 2021 study from the suicide prevention and crisis intervention group the Trevor Project found that 42 percent of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered attempting suicide. Another worrying statistic was the number of LGBTQ+ students who thought of attempting suicide after experiencing bullying, a problem that some fear could be worsened after the state pulled anti-bullying resources off the Department of Education’s website. The resources included resources specifically geared toward LGBTQ+ students. A full floor vote on the bill is expected to come on Thursday (Feb. 24).