This is a petition to stop the ‘Parental Rights in Education’ bill aka the ‘Don’t Say Gay Bill’ before it has the opportunity to ruin kids' lives.

At the very least, the goal is to get an amendment to the bill that clearly states that students are not to have their sexuality or gender identity outed to their parents through their teachers, no matter how 'accepting' the parents may seem. Teachers of course could still notify the parents of declining mental, physical or emotional health, just not through outing of the child. 

There is a new bill that has just passed the Florida house committee. It is called the ‘Parental Rights in Education’ bill but was nicknamed the ‘Don’t say gay bill’ by the media. It would make teachers legally compelled to out their LGBTQ+ students’ sexuality/gender identity even in unsafe situations. Suicide is the second most common cause of death for today's youth. The Trevor Project estimates “at least one LGBTQ youth between the ages of 13–24 attempts suicide every 45 seconds in the U.S.'' This bill would take away many kids' only safe and comfortable space, school. Many kids do not feel comfortable being open about their gender identity or sexuality at home (whether it be they’re not comfortable or ready to come out or their family is abusive or unsupportive) and school may be the only place where they can express themselves safely.

The bill includes that teachers do not have to tell the child’s parents if it is clear that the child will be put in an unsafe environment. This is good, yes, but not all unsafe environments are obvious to outsiders. Sometimes it might be a picture-perfect family, totally supportive of everyone, but when it comes to their kid, they may not be so accepting of them. Abuse is not always obvious, even to trained professionals and to teachers.

This is the version that passed the Florida House of Representatives:

 “Parental Rights in Education: Requires district school boards to adopt procedures that comport with provisions of law for notifying student's parent of specified information; requires procedures to reinforce the fundamental right of parents to make decisions regarding upbringing & control of their children; provides requirements for such procedures, school districts, & personnel; requires DOE to review & update specified materials.” 

At the moment, according to the Trevor Project, 19% of LGBTQ+ youth through the ages of 13-18 have reported on attempting to commit suicide in the past year. If this bill is passed, those rates would ascend rapidly because of students being unable to discuss with their teachers, not being able to be open about their sexuality and or gender identity at school, or in the worst-case scenario, being abused at home by unsupportive parents that were told by teachers. Lots of parents wouldn’t support their kid being Part of the LGBTQ+ community. Also, if teachers were forced to tell the parent, then that child could be at risk of being abused.

Florida state Rep. Joe Harding stated in regards to the bill, “This bill is about defending the most awesome responsibility a person can have, being a parent,” If parents really wish to know their children, then they create an atmosphere at home that helps the children feel like they won't be judged for who they are. Something that can help with that is not forcing teachers to give this information without the child’s consent. Also, if the kid unalives themself, the parents won't be parents anymore.