User:InvadingInvader/1557 new lead draft

The Parental Rights in Education act (HB 1557), commonly known as the Don't Say Gay act or the Don't Say Gay or Trans act, is a Florida state law passed in 2022 that regulates public schools in Florida. The most controversial sections of the act prohibits public schools from having "classroom discussion" or giving "classroom instruction" about sexual orientation or gender identity from kindergarten through third grade or in any manner deemed to be against state standards in all grades; prohibits public schools from adopting procedures or student support forms that maintain the confidentiality of a disclosure by a student, including that of the gender identity or sexual orientation of a student, from parents; and requires public schools to bear all the costs of all lawsuits filed by aggrieved parents.

Introduced by GOP Florida state assembly members Joe Harding and Dennis Baxley The Florida House of Representatives passed the bill in a 69 to 47 vote on February 24, 2022; with 68 Republicans and 1 Democrat voting for it; and 40 Democrats and 7 Republicans voting against it. The Florida Senate passed the bill in a 22 to 17 vote on March 8, 2022; with 22 Republicans voting for it; and 15 Democrats and 2 Republicans voting against it. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, signed the bill on March 28, 2022, and the act went into effect on July 1, 2022. Its passage has promopted the inroduction of various similar laws within other GOP states, and already have Florida legislators introduced bills expanding the scope and provisions of the law.

The main nationwide organization for LGBT rights in the United States and the main statewide organization for LGBT rights in Florida, the Human Rights Campaign and Equality Florida, respectively, responded by stating that DeSantis had "placed Florida squarely on the wrong side of history" and had "attacked parents and children in our state" by signing the bill. It has been described as the Don't Say Gay act or as the Don't Say Gay or Trans act by its opponents who oppose the act because it prohibits education about the LGBT community, LGBT history, LGBT rights, and same-sex marriage in early grades or in any manner deemed to be against state standards in all grades; harms children in the classroom; censors classroom discussion about LGBT families by the children of LGBT parents; censors classroom instruction about LGBT families by teachers; forces public schools to out LGBT children against their will to parents who are not accepting of their sexual orientation or gender identity; and erodes the financial resources of public schools by means of frivolous lawsuits by aggrieved parents.

Students across both Florida and the US have also demonstrated against the law via massive walkouts held at middle schools and high schools with large crowds of middle schoolers and high schoolers chanting a variety of slogans such as "We Say Gay". In addition to LGBT advocacy groups and students, organizations representing teachers, pediatricians,psychologists, lawyers, civil rights and human rights organizations, the US federal government, the United Nations, and 296 major businesses all stood against the law. The Walt Disney Company most prominently came out in opposition to the bill following protests by its employees, precipitating an ongoing feud between Disney and DeSantis that precipitated the elimination and eventual government takeover of the Reedy Creek Improvement District. Polls variously show plurality or majority opposition to the act or support for the act, but all polls consistently show that support for the act is concentrated among older generations, particularly baby boomers, and that opposition to the act is concentrated among younger generations, especially Generation Z.