Every person deserves respect of their peers
Due to the recent passage of what's been called the “Don't Say Gay” bill in Florida, conversations and controversies about LGBTQ+ studies in school have risen. I believe that conversations in schools about gender and other LGBTQ+ topics are beneficial to school environments. These conversations help all students to feel safe and comfortable and they teach students to respect others, which is a very important skill for all people to learn, especially early in life. Not to mention, LGBTQ+ history is an important part of all history.
If you haven't heard, “Don't Say Gay” is a law that prohibits discussion about gender identity and sexual orientation between kindergarten and third grade. It was signed and passed in Florida and will take effect July 1. A large argument over the bill centers around whether it would prohibit instruction or discussion of sexual orientation. The bill's sponsors have stated that the bill would not prohibit students from talking about LGBTQ+ families or historical events; instead, they say that they are prohibiting the “instruction” of gender identity and sexual orientation.
The language of this law, however, makes it difficult to interpret. The preamble refers to “classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity.” However, the actual bill states, “classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur.” Due to this, the actual details of the bill are still being debated.
This law is extremely harmful for many reasons. One main reason is that when a person's identity (or a loved one's identity) becomes a point of debate or politicized, it can increase stress and be extremely dehumanizing. This stress is more damaging to younger people while they are more vulnerable. According to Healthline, stressed children are more susceptible to difficulty concentrating and poorer academic performance. This is only the beginning of negative consequences.
With older students, the negatives only grow more dangerous. The likelihood of suicide and substance use grows exponentially. According to The Trevor Project, LGBTQ+ youth already face higher health and suicide risk then their cisgender and heterosexual peers. There is so much shame when someone is silenced simply to talk about themselves or loved ones. All students deserve to feel safe and comfortable in school, to talk about whatever they need to. This issue with social stigma has such negative effects on youth of all ages.
Many conservatives believe that conversations about LGBTQ+ topics in school consist of inappropriate descriptions and teacher instruction on what your sexuality and gender should be. But that is 100 percent not true. Many people (such as myself ) believe that these conversations should simply tell students that whoever they are, and whoever their families and friends are, is OK! Telling kindergartners that some people have two moms, some people have two dads, is perfectly appropriate.
The point is not to indoctrinate young kids to try to “turn them gay.” The point is to teach kids to respect others and themselves.
Many people have different opinions on queer topics and conversations in school, that it has been a massive point of political debate. As a queer student, the passage of this bill scares me. LGBTQ+ conversations should not be outlawed; in fact, conversations about LGBTQ+ topics should be in all schools to ensure the safety of all students. In the end, I believe that it comes down to the respect of all people, because, after all, everyone deserves to be respected.