“Today, Governor DeSantis signed yet another piece of divisive and particularly cruel legislation, in HB1557.
Dismissive and uninformed Republicans claims the reason for national outrage is because we haven’t read the bill. We read it. So did medical professionals, educators, community leaders, and parents. It is an attack on Florida’s LGBTQ+ community and our teachers. Perhaps the Senate Republican bill sponsor didn’t read it, or understand it, because he couldn’t even define simple terms in the bill, including “sexual orientation.”
Crafted in ignorance and fear mongering, this legislation has little to do with student safety and everything to do with culture wars fabricated by Republicans.
What Floridians need is affordable housing, a living wage, and safe communities. This does nothing to address the issues hurting Florida’s families. Not only will teachers be punished, and school boards mired in needless litigation for allowing classroom discussion about a student’s own family structure, but children with LGBTQ+ family members will be both shunned and shamed by the very institutions that protect them. It is a disgrace that supporters of the bill blatantly ignore the will of the people while cultivating a police state void of any trust in our teachers.”
