Florida has become the center of America’s latest cultural battle: sex education in schools. A law banning schools from encouraging discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity passed the state Senate Education Committee on Tuesday.
The text, dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by critics, bans the topic in the primary grades, usually ages 7 to 11. It also provides restrictions when the subject is approached “in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for the students”, although it does not detail what would be considered age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate. An almost identical version had already been presented about a month ago in the Florida House.
On Monday night, US President Joe Biden tweeted that the federal administration will “continue to fight for the protections and security” that the LGBTQIA+ community deserves. “I want every member of the LGBT community — especially the children who will be impacted by this hateful law — to know that they are loved and accepted for who they are.”
The official White House account also made a post saying that “conservative politicians in Florida have passed legislation designed to attack LGBT children.”
In opposition to former President Donald Trump, within a year of his term in office Biden has already reversed measures such as the one that prohibited transgender military personnel from serving in the Armed Forces. In addition to appointing openly LGBT people to important government positions, the Democrat signed decrees to expand protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and his Justice and Education portfolios have also acted in this regard.
Bills like the one in Florida that limit discussions of diversity with children have mushroomed in the US, exposing a culture war that divides the country. In Brazil, the theme is also recurrent among conservatives, such as President Jair Bolsonaro (PL).
These groups oppose gender discussions, which they see as an attack orchestrated by leftist militants on the concept of “traditional family”. They defend the position as a fight against what they call “gender ideology”.
In Florida, critics say that, if passed, the law will further marginalize children and teens who identify as gay, lesbian or transgender. “This will kill the children,” Chasten Buttigieg, husband of Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg, wrote on his social media site. He cited a study by The Trevor Project which found that 42% of LGBT youth seriously thought about suicide in 2021.
Buttigieg was the first US presidential candidate to openly admit his sexuality. He participated in the race for the Democratic Party. Prior to that, he ruled South Bend, a city of 100,000 in the state of Indiana, from 2012 to 2020.
Child psychologist Natasha Poulopoulos, who works in Miami, told AFP that talking about these issues in an environment of tolerance reduces the number of suicide attempts. From the age of seven, children can have “a very clear idea of ​​their gender identity”. So banning discussion in the school environment “would just put them more in the closet.”
“The idea is not to encourage children to talk about sex, but to give them the opportunity to reflect on how they feel and let them know that they can talk. [sobre o tema]if you want,” he said.
Defender of the law, the governor of Florida, the Republican Ron DeSantis, says that the text is not discriminatory and that the discussion about gender and sexuality should be done at home, not at school. “It’s about allowing parents to raise their children and have a voice and vote in what happens to them,” Tina Descovich of Moms for Liberty, who says she is fighting for “America’s survival” by empowering parents to defend parental rights.
In addition to Florida, the matter is debated in other states. In California, a mother has filed lawsuits against authorities in the county where her children attend school. She accuses two teachers of encouraging her daughter, then in sixth grade (about age 13), to use a male name. It is unclear, however, whether the teenager in question identifies as transgender.
The California Teachers Association, for its part, expressed concern about an environment in which outside political forces seek to divide parents, teachers and schools.
Similar projects have also sprung up in states like Arizona, Indiana and Oklahoma. These range from teachers’ obligation to notify parents if a student talks about their sexuality, to obtaining parental permission before talking about sexual orientation, to banning books in school libraries that talk about “sexual preference” and “gender identity.” “.
LGBT activists recall that, in the late 1980s, the country experienced a similar offensive, when AIDS was an epidemic. The authorities were then forced to establish courses on sex education on HIV. At the time, however, conservatives assured that homosexuality would not be talked about in schools for fear of an alleged “indoctrination” of children.
Biden measures by LGBTQIA+
27.Oct.21 – Non-binary passport
The State Department has allowed the issuance, starting this year, of travel documents that allow for the X-marker in gender.
25.jun.21 – National Pulse Memorial
Biden signed a law to create a memorial in honor of the victims of the massacre at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando in 2016.
17.Jun.21 – Department of Justice questions laws in West Virginia and Arkansas
Pasta challenged state laws that infringed on the rights of transgender youth, saying the West Virginia text violated federal and Arkansas law, the Constitution.
16.jun.21 – Department of Education expands understanding of anti-discrimination law
Pasta released a new interpretation of Title 9, according to which no person in the US should be prohibited from participating, denied rights, or discriminated against, because of their gender, in educational programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance. For the department, the law applies to LGBT students, which reverses a Trump position.
25.Jan.21 – Permission of transgender military personnel
Biden reversed Trump’s measure banning transgender people from serving in the US military.
20.jan.21
On his first day in office, the Democratic president signed an executive order extending protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, reaffirming the Supreme Court’s decision.
