Florida state GOP lawmakers advance bill prohibiting schools from ‘encouraging’ talk of sexual orientation and gender identity in some classrooms

By Devan Cole, CNN

Florida state lawmakers advanced a bill last week that would prohibit some schools from “encouraging” conversations about sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms with young students.

HB 1557, titled the Parental Rights in Education bill, was passed by the state House’s GOP-controlled Education and Employment Committee on Thursday by a vote of 15-5.

Though the bill’s sponsor says the legislation aims to provide parents with greater oversight over what their students learn and discuss at school, opponents have said it will have a harmful impact on LGBTQ youth, whom they say are at an increased risk for suicide when they are not able to learn about LGBTQ-related topics while in school.

The proposed legislation comes as policymakers around the country are engaged in spirited debates over parental rights and which social issues are taught in the classroom, with LGBTQ-related topics a major target for conservatives who say conversations around those subjects should be left for families to discuss at home.

The legislation would make it illegal for districts to “adopt procedures or student support forms that prohibit school district personnel from notifying a parent about his or her student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being,” something LGBTQ advocates argue could lead to some students being unintentionally outed to their parents.

In addition, “A school district may not encourage classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students,” according to the proposal, which would also allow parents to bring civil suits against a school district for any potential violation of its rules.

While the bill doesn’t define “primary grade levels,” its sponsor, Republican state Rep. Joe Harding, told CNN on Monday that it would apply to students in kindergarten through third grade.

“At that age they need to be worried about reading and worrying about their math,” he said. “For me, it’s why are we sensationalizing this age to have all these questions and to force so many questions on gender on these children at that age?”

“We’re talking specifically about young, elementary-age children that just don’t need that stress in general,” Harding added. “Allow things to come up organically, but don’t force conversations on them.”

The bill now heads to another House committee, which could also approve it and then send it to the floor for a full House vote. A Senate companion bill is also making its way through that chamber, which is controlled by Republicans.

HB 1557 is being strongly opposed by Democrats in the state and a number of LGBTQ advocacy groups, including the Trevor Project, a nonprofit organization that works on suicide prevention among LGBTQ youth. The group said last week that if passed, the bill would “ban classroom discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, erasing LGBTQ identity, history, and culture — as well as LGBTQ students themselves.”

“The Trevor Project’s research has found that LGBTQ youth who learned about LGBTQ issues or people in classes at school had 23% lower odds of reporting a suicide attempt in the past year,” said Sam Ames, the group’s director of advocacy and government affairs, in a statement. “This bill will erase young LGBTQ students across Florida, forcing many back into the closet by policing their identity and silencing important discussions about the issues they face.”

Florida state Rep. Anna Eskamani, a Democrat who is among the bill’s opponents, told CNN’s Alisyn Camerota Monday that it’s “offensive for the state of Florida to consider such legislation.”

“You know, I represent Pulse Nightclub in my district. Every day we have young people who ask questions about what happened at Pulse, who was impacted by Pulse. It’s so important that we can have these conversations and talk about every type of family within our schools,” she said on “Newsroom.”

HB 1557 is also taking heat from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s husband, Chasten, who said last week in a tweet directed at Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis that the bill “will kill kids.”

Chasten Buttigieg wrote that the governor is “purposefully making your state a harder place for LGBTQ kids to survive in,” and cited data from the Trevor Project about queer youth who have seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year.

CNN has reached out to DeSantis’ office for comment on Buttigieg’s tweet.

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