So 40 years after Anita Bryant's 'Save the Children' nonsense, Florida hasn't learned a thing. Except for how to reframe bigotry.
In the 70s, folks defeated gay rights ordinances by claiming we 'recruit' children. On Tuesday, the state just passed a bill attacking LGBTQ kids and families by implying that we are trying to 'groom' children.
It just goes to show that bigotry and ignorance don't change. These things can be repackaged but underneath is always the same rotten core of hate.
The 'Don't Say Gay' bill, which will soon be signed by Governor DeSantis, is nothing more than a pathetic nocturnal emission. It's an annoyingly long last gasp from a group who wants to confine the complexities and worthiness of LGBTQ lives to their fevered imagination where we fluctuate between objects of pity or disgust. They see us as sideshow freaks to be observed for their amusement when they want an inflated sense of self-esteem or pleasure when they want to feel 'naughty.' Any deviation we make in their pristine illusionary world is a invasion which causes them to figuratively grab the kids and put them in safe rooms. To these folks, we are akin to Peg Powler, Jenny Greenteeth, and all of those mythical water spirits in various cultures and as such, our sole desires are to snatch up children who venture to close to our world.
What nonsense.
All of this Helen Lovejoyish screeching (Oh won't someone please think of the children!!) and nonsensical cries of 'let kids be kids' (what the hell does that mean anyway) is faker than hair at a beauty shop. The bill as written is deliberately vague in talking about what isn't or isn't allowed but very direct in talking about penalties. It's meant to send a negative message to LGBTQ people and our kids that we are the 'dreaded other.'
But it also sends another interesting message.
Supporters of the 'Don't Say Gay' bill are weaponizing so-called parental concerns because LGBTQ people who won't conduct our lives in accordance to their lurid stereotypes are a danger to them. We simply won't abide by their false image of who we are.
And why should we censor our lives for their benefit? We are normal, no matter how many times they accuse us of being abnormal. We have lives and jobs. We date. We pay taxes. Some of us are raising children. And we shouldn't feel the need to hide any of this.
So what if our refusal to play the villainous roles in some people's daily drama threatens them. That's their problem. It is not our job to make anyone feel safe in their pretend reality where all couples - married and unmarried - are heterosexual and where kids never hear a word about relationships (except for when they are chasing each other on the playgrounds, or teasing each other about 'liking someone,' or when they read fairy tales with princes and princesses, or watching Disney movies etc, etc) while also assuming that all families look the same.
It's not the responsibility of LGBTQ people or our families to curb our reality in order to conform with someone else's illusions. And no laws will ever change that reality.
So while the supporters of Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill will get their law, I would advise them to enjoy it while they can as long as they can. Because their victory was pyrrhic and at best, they've done nothing of substance but make us mad.
And LGBTQ people know how to fight while mad. It suits us.
Related post - Government officials relied on lies to target trans kids and their parents in Texas. It wasn't the first time.
