Thompson T ANTHRO 1AA3 Assignment 1

Tristan Thompson 400520497 ANTHROP 1AA3
Critical Analysis of the ‘don’t say gay’ Bill Debate
The critically dubbed 'don't say gay' bill, passed by Florida State Governor Ron DeSantis
in 2022, banned the incorporation of gender identity and sexual orientation education into the
kindergarten to grade 3 curriculum. The bill was updated in 2023, extending the ban through to
grade 12, effectively removing gender and sexual education from the public school curriculum
and limiting it to no more than spontaneous classroom conversations. The bill sparked enormous
backlash by Florida state citizens as the outlawing of gender and sex discussion is perceived to
be problematic and pertinent to the sentiments of the next generation in Florida. The nature of the
debate can be examined from various perspectives including the role of education, the role of
parents, the scope of the education system, and the child's experience.
One of the dilemmas observed through the debate deals with the role and scope of
education and whether or not gender and sexuality should be discussed in standardized public
education. This is a point of disagreement because many parents and guardians wish to control
the means and method of sexual and gender education for their children and don't trust the
schooling system to do the same job they believe they would. This distrust is likely contributed
to by homophobia and transphobia as some parents may believe that education may influence
their child's sexuality or gender identity. This sentiment was echoed by Florida Governor Ron
DeSantis before signing the original bill when he referred to gender and sexuality education as
'indoctrination' (CBC 2022). It is important to note that gender is a cultural construct, not tied to
biological sex, and that sexuality is a biological drive. Both are discovered by the individual and
cannot be dictated by another in any circumstance, including education. Conversely, others see
the value of the early education of gender and sexuality concepts. This perspective recognizes the
current widespread western notion of the gender and sex binary and the misunderstood
connection between the two, and wishes to amend this for future generations. This misconception
is believed to be solvable through the allowance of standardized education regarding gender
identity and sexuality, increasing acceptance and awareness in youth groups, which would likely
lead to reduced homophobia and transphobia. The striking of such education from all public
school curriculums leaves gender and sexuality education in the hands of the parents and the kids
themselves, which increases the likelihood of the continuation of the current dogma surrounding
the topic for future generations.
Another concern echoed in the debate is the experience of the children in the schools. On
one hand, the removal of sexuality and gender identity education from the curriculum may make
students feel less sure of their own identities, reduce acceptance in school settings, and make
students less empowered to embody their identities. In the current environment where it is
already difficult enough to identify with something other than the unfairly set status quo, kids are
likely to face scrutiny if they defy the expectations of their peers. This may result in the
suppression or lack of nurturing of their identity, which can result in extreme mental and physical
stress (Hawkins 2016). The reduction of education on the matters would only result in less
accepting students, which, in turn, would cause insecurity and lack of empowerment. On the
other side of the debate, there are worries over the early or unwilling introduction of sexual
concepts to kids. Similar to the restriction of movies that contain sexual or 'inappropriate'
content, there are those who believe kids may be made uncomfortable or be unprepared when
talking about sexual preference and gender identity, especially before puberty. To elaborate,
many kids believe they fit into a gender based on the societal expectation of their gender and
may not know any better than the idea that they are a girl because they do what girls do, or vice
versa. In the case where they are experiencing gender identity dysphoria, when a child feels as
though they have been placed into the wrong gender identity, it can become difficult to decide
how to act. Only 6 to 23 percent of boys and 12 to 27 percent of girls experiencing gender
identity dysphoria display persistence of GID into adulthood, meaning any action in adolescence
may be damaging or wasteful. Furthermore, it may be difficult for younger children to have to
consider sexual concepts at a point in their lives when they are not sexually capable or
comfortable.
In conclusion, the debate over the 'don't say gay' bill that was passed in Florida can be
examined from many perspectives and be understood in different ways. The prevalence of
homophobia, transphobia, and misinformation regarding gender identity and sexuality in North
America is evidently a large influence on the debating parties. Balancing these concerns requires
careful consideration of the long-term implications for individual identity formation and social
cohesion.
References
CBC. (2022, April 21). 'Don't Say Gay' bill becomes law in Florida, banning sexual orientation
instruction from K-3. CBC. Retrieved May 24, 2024, from
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/florida-don-t-say-gay-bill-desantis-1.6400087
Contorno, S. (2023, April 19). Florida bans teaching of gender identity and sexual orientation through
12th grade. CNN. Retrieved May 24, 2024, from
https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/19/politics/florida-bans-teaching-gender-identity-sexual-
orientation/index.html/
Andrew Hawkins. (2016). It’s More Than Just Bathrooms. Voices in Bioethics, 2.
https://doi.org/10.7916/vib.v2i.5984
Lavenda, R. H., Schultz E. A, Zatter, C. (2023). “What is Anthropology?”. ANTHROP 1AA3:
Introduction to Anthropology: Sex, Food and Death. Custom edition for McMaster University.
Oxford University Press. Pp. 1-22

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Tristan Thompson 400520497 ANTHROP 1AA3

Critical Analysis of the ‘don’t say gay’ Bill Debate

is believed to be solvable through the allowance of standardized education regarding gender

the topic for future generations.

instruction from K-3. CBC. Retrieved May 24, 2024, from

12th grade. CNN. Retrieved May 24, 2024, from

Lavenda, R. H., Schultz E. A, Zatter, C. (2023). “What is Anthropology?”. ANTHROP 1AA3:

Oxford University Press. Pp. 1-22

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