Despite overwhelming public outrage, polling data underscoring immense unpopularity with voters & hours of testimony from LGBTQ families, Florida Republican legislators have passed the “Don’t Say Gay” (HB 1557) & “Stop WOKE” (HB 7) bills. The bills are part of Governor DeSantis’ censorship that seeks to stigmatize & erase LGBTQ people & block honest discussions of civil rights in America. The “Don’t Say Gay” bill bans discussion of LGBTQ people in primary grades & will further stigmatize our LGBTQ community. Nadine Smith Executive Director of Equality Florida stated, “This bill is so extreme that it inspired a rare rebellion within House GOP ranks as seven Republican lawmakers broke with leadership & opposed passage. Those voting NO include a teacher & a child welfare advocate demonstrating that those who work most closely with children & students understand how damaging this legislation truly is. The Florida Senate should follow their lead & reject this extreme legislation.” Republicans who voted no are Rep. Mooney, Rep. Lamarca, Rep. Bussata Cabrera, Rep. Aloupis, Rep. Mariano, Rep. Plasencia & Rep. Will Robinson. The WOKE Act will censor conversations about racism, discrimination & injustice allowing people to sue for discrimination if they are made to feel “guilty” or “discomfort” because of a training or school lesson. If these bills are signed into law they will have disastrous impacts on classrooms & workplaces. They will turn Florida into a surveillance state & give the government broad license to censor conversations about American history, the origins of racism & injustice & the existence of our LGBTQ community.
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