Florida Teens, Families Sue School Boards Over ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Law: ‘Forces Us to Self-Censor’ – PEOPLE

Florida’s LGBTQ teens and parents are going after their school districts over the recently-enacted H.B. 1557, widely known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

The complaint argues that the legislation “effectively silences and erases LGBTQ+ students and families” by banning discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K-3 and restricts those topics for students through 12th grade based on vague standards of what’s appropriate.

“The law demands that school districts implement its terms, and it empowers any parent to directly sue the school district if they are dissatisfied with its implementation of the law,” reads the lawsuit, which was filed by Lambda Legal, Southern Poverty Law Center, Southern Legal Counsel and private counsel Baker McKenzie.

The lawsuit represents two Florida couples and their children, rising high school senior Will Larkins and the organization CenterLink, an international network of LGBTQ centers. It names school districts in the counties of Orange, Indian River, Duval and Palm Beach, which did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

“I am concerned that this law will eviscerate any hope of healthy and important discussions about LGBTQ+ issues or historical events, which are already lacking in our schools,” Larkins said in a statement. “Because of the vague language of the law, closed-minded parents are emboldened to become vigilantes to force their beliefs upon other people’s children by suing the school district over anything they disagree with.”

Fellow plaintiffs David Dinan and Vikranth Gongidi added: “We are deeply concerned about the negative effect that HB 1557 has upon our family. The law limits our speech and our expression. The law forces us to self-censor for fear of prompting responses from our children’s teachers and classmates that would isolate our children and make them feel ashamed of their own family. It also causes irreparable harm to our children and to their development.”

The suit argues: “This vigilante enforcement mechanism, combined with the law’s intentionally vague and sweeping scope, invites parents who oppose any acknowledgment whatsoever of the existence of LGBTQ+ people to sue, resulting in schools acting aggressively to silence students, parents, and school personnel.

“The law, by design, chills speech and expression that have any connection, however remote, to sexual orientation or gender identity.”

The National Center for Lesbian Rights previously filed another lawsuit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis shortly after he signed the bill into law in March.

At the time of the signing, DeSantis, 43, said, “We will continue to recognize that in the state of Florida, parents have a fundamental role in the education, health care, and well-being of their children. We will not move from that,” according to CNN.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, the first openly gay person in the position, previously denounced the bill after it took effect earlier this month.

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“This is not an issue of ‘parents’ rights.’ This is discrimination, plain and simple,” said Jean-Pierre, 47. “It’s part of a disturbing and dangerous nationwide trend of right-wing politicians cynically targeting LGBTQI+ students, educators, and individuals to score political points.”

President Joe Biden has also been urging Congress to pass the Equality Act, which will ensure “long overdue” civil rights protections for LGBTQ people.

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