Joe.My.God. LGBT News
Florida Politics reports:
Florida’s controversial parental rights legislation governing classroom instruction on LGBTQ matters, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by opponents, is headed to the Senate floor. Under the leadership of President Wilton Simpson, the Senate decided to take up the House version of the legislation.
The bill was slated for only one committee stop — the Senate Appropriations Committee — where the legislation was approved Monday afternoon. Ocala Republican Sen. Dennis Baxley [photo], who filed the Senate version of the bill (SB 1834), presented the legislation to the committee Monday morning.
Read the full article.
The bill passed in the full Florida House last week in a 69-47 vote. The full Senate could vote on the bill as soon as tomorrow and it’s expected to pass easily as Republicans hold a 24-15 majority in that chamber.
Earlier today a GOP senator introduced an amendment to the Senate version which would have changed the language to a more generic “human sexuality” – rather than its specific target of LGBTQ issues. The GOP majority on Appropriations Committee rejected the amendment.
RELATED: Dennis Baxley last appeared on JMG in 2019 when he introduced an ultimately failed bill that would have allowed Florida teachers to instruct against “controversial” ideas like evolution and climate change. That bill was written by the anti-LGBTQ hate group, the Florida Citizens Alliance. But that wasn’t the first time an extremist group funneled a bill through Dennis Baxley. In 2005 he introduced the NRA-written “Stand Your Ground” bill that was successfully used in the murder of Trayvon Martin and just this week in the killing of a movie patron who threw popcorn at a retired cop.
“Don’t say gay is just ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ for our children.” Thank you @KevinChoFL for your honest and beautiful testimony. pic.twitter.com/qS56GIae4Y
— Florida Senate Democrats (@FLSenateDems) February 28, 2022
If ‘Don’t Say Gay’ isn’t about marginalizing the LGBTQ community — as our GOP colleagues claim — why not pass an amendment to make the bill about human sexuality?
As a GOP Senator just put it — “If the intent of this bill isn’t to marginalize anyone, let’s make sure we aren’t”
— Florida Senate Democrats (@FLSenateDems) February 28, 2022
“Don’t Say Gay”
Florida Senate Committee voted down Sen. Jeff Brandes’ (R) amendment replacing House language of *sexual orientation and gender identity* – with the terms *human sexuality and sexual activity*. https://t.co/j27quBslN7
— Greg Angel (@NewsGuyGreg) February 28, 2022