Many of you have heard about the “Don’t Say Gay,” bill, or it’s official name, “Parent Rights in Education.” This bill ensures that in school, children in kindergarten through third grade may not be instructed or talked to about gender identity or sexuality by the teaching personnel or third parties. As you can see, this bill has the potential to have disastrous consequences, such as higher suicide rates in LGBTQ+ youth, more bullying, higher stress levels in LGBTQ+ youth, and simply having their rights essentially stripped from them and their identities invalidated.  
This bill was passed in early March 2022, and people all over the world were instantly against it. In the article, “’Don’t Say Gay’ bill: Florida Senate passes controversial LGBTQ school measure,” by NBC News, the author states: 
“...Democrat Shevrin Jones, the first openly gay Florida state senator, urged his colleagues to narrow the bill’s language to say instruction should not be ‘intended to change a student’s sexual orientation or gender identity.’ ‘I ask that you open up your hearts just a tad bit,” he said... ‘Please, do no harm.’” 
Even some members of the Florida senate do not want this bill to go into effect, and for good reason. The bill has been passed, but it still needs to be signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to be put into effect, which will happen on July 1st, if signed (Bellamy-Walker, Sopelsa, Reuters).  
     The “Don’t Say Gay,” bill is noticeably vague. Its exact wording is: 
Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards. (Bellamy-Walker, Sopelsa, Reuters) 
This can include many things; talking about any member of the LGBTQ+ community and their identity, a school counselor speaking with a member of the LGBTQ+ community about their identity and could even extend to include talking about heterosexuality. Could teachers no longer be allowed to talk about their spouses? “‘We're going to make sure that parents are able to send their kid to kindergarten without having some of this stuff injected into their school curriculum,’ he (DeSantis) said,” according to CNN’s article, “What the bill dubbed ‘Don’t Say Gay’ by critics actually says.” Moreover, the bill mentions age-appropriate discussions, which means politicians could extend the bill to older students as well, essentially erasing these queer youth’s identities, being told they shouldn’t be allowed to talk about themselves (Wolf).  
     According to experts, such as Dr. Jason Nagata, assistant professor of pediatrics of adolescent and young adult medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, “Discriminatory laws can worsen mental health and suicide rates among LGBTQ people. State laws permitting denial of services to same-sex couples were linked to a 46 percent increase in mental distress among LGB adults” (Mastroianni) The “Don’t Say Gay,” will only worsen LGBTQ+ youth’s mental health and even lead to higher suicide rates among the LGBTQ+ community. Instead of making the classroom a safe space for everyone, this bill makes it unsafe for LGBTQ+ people. It’s important to mention that this bill doesn’t just apply to gay people, as the name says, but also to transgender, nonbinary, and all queer people (Mastroianni). It seeks to invalidate their identity by acting as if it’s something to be hidden. 
     Supporters of the “Don’t Say Gay,” bill, like to point out that kids from kindergarten to third grade are too young to hear about these things, as if simply hearing about queer people will turn them into one. We talk about slave owners and kids don’t instantly own Black people, do they? However, the point remains that many LGBTQ+ people know that they’re queer when they’re around these ages. What they really need is acceptance, guidance, and reassurance that it’s not something to be ashamed of (Mastroianni). In the article, “Why Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill Is So Dangerous,” by Healthline, it says:  
'There is a huge percentage of people, of children who do come out that young. I believe 4 in 10 gay men report they knew they were gay before they turned 10 years old, some know as soon as kindergarten,’ she (Heather Zayde) said. ‘The talking point of ‘oh, these children are so young’ — that’s irrelevant. Inclusion needs to start from birth, basically. (Mastroianni) 
     One of my closest friends, who came out as trans last year, as a teenager, told me he knew since he was eight. Age is not an issue here. Young kids can have queer parents, queer relatives, can even be queer themselves. But when you silence them, you are saying that they should be ashamed, and that can have serious mental consequences (Mastroianni). 
The “Don’t Say Gay” bill does more harm than good, causing even more mental problems to already vulnerable individuals, and erasing LGBTQ+ people’s identities. What kind of example does this set? It’s like pretending that people of color are simply white, or that the Civil War didn’t happen. Why act as if queer people haven’t been around for centuries? Achilles, Anne Frank, Oliver Wilde, Siegfried Sassoon, Eleanor Roosevelt... the list goes on. What should be happening is more inclusivity and discussion, making sure no one feels left out or erased, not eliminating the conversation altogether.