The Don’t Say, Gay Bill

The Parental Rights in Education Bill, also known as the Don’t Say Gay Bill is a bill that limits what teachers can teach about sexual orientation and gender orientation. According to the statement, these lessons won’t be taught in kindergarten through third grade or in a way that is not appropriate for students. The bill allows parents to sue the school or teachers that talk about the subject. The bill is said to go into effect on July 1st. So far, this bill has been passed in Florida by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Some civilians don’t support the bill so far. Disney has said that they will try to help repeal the bill. Even though there are people who don’t support the bill, people support the bill, saying that it’s about parents having control over their children’s education.
Florida is not the only state the bill has been introduced, but it is the only state in which it has been passed. The bill was introduced in Georgia the same day the Parental Rights in Education Bill was passed. Like in Florida, there have been adverse reactions to the account. Some say that it’s not about parental rights but restricting the youth’s learning. Advocates have said that the bill won’t pass by the deadline. In January, it was also introduced in Tennessee that would ban public schools from kindergarten through twelfth grade from using textbooks or instructional materials that promote and support LGBT lifestyles. In Kansas, the bill was introduced last month. It would make it a Class B (The legislature finds that quality education is central to a child’s development and long-term success in life. A parent has a right to direct the upbringing, education, and care of the parent’s child. The legislature further finds that a parent shall have the right to play a central role in a child’s education, to obtain critical information about what is being taught or provided in the classroom. And to take action when a parent feels that the quality or content of a child’s education does not align with the values and expectations the parent expects and deserves) misdemeanor to teach classroom materials about homosexuality referred to the committee on K-12 education. The Indiana house is considering introducing something that would stop teachers from discussing human sexuality, including abortion, birth control, sexual orientation, and transgenderism, with students under 18 without parental consent.

Some students here at Wheeler High School have spoken about the bill, and here are some of their responses. Jae’lee Butler (Grade 12) said, “I’m not completely against it even though myself am a part of the LGBTQ+ community. I don’t completely agree with the bill either, though. I think it came to be because of homophobia in the government or because little kids who are in the mentality of bullying their crushes are using LGBTQ+ terms that they don’t even know means, like a quirky trend or both.” Sydney Craft (Grade 10) says, “I think the Georgia version is odd. I think what they’re trying to do is appease both sides of all the race and sexuality and gender arguments in private schools. But they could have gone about it in a better way. Now, instead of answering questions about these things and teaching people about diversity, private school teachers can’t talk about it at all. They’re trying to raise a bunch of naive, ignorant privileged kids who know nothing about the world, and I don’t really like it. I think it came to be to make both republicans and democrats happy.” “I don’t think it’s valid because the person shouldn’t be influenced in a certain way, and people can be taught different opinions. And in my opinion, it’s way too complicated in this world. I think it was created probably because people complained about wasting time and/or being too biased.” May Sharahan (Grade 10) said. “It sucks. It should not be in place. At least not in high school.” Garrett (Grade 10) said.
The Parental Rights in Education Bill, also known as the Don’t Say, Gay Bill, has gotten positive and negative feedback. Big companies like Disney have shown that they’re against the bill, and some students here at Wheeler High School. But, at the same time, other states like Georgia, Kansas, Indiana, and Tennessee have shown their support and even brought their version of the Parental Rights in Education Bill to their condition.