The fact that Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill was going to become law was a given from the start because Republicans outnumber Democrats in both legislative houses. But opponents of the bill consistently - and accurately - pushed that fact that the bill unfairly targets LGBTQ people.
The supporters of the bill tried to push two opposite messages and that didn't work out for them. There were some who claimed that the bill doesn't target LGBTQ people, such as hate group The Family Research Council:
But they have been severely undercut by other supporters of the bill who say that it does target LGBTQ Floridians. Supporters such as Fox News host Laura Ingraham who dog whistled about the 'gays want to recruit' children trope :
And the drafter of the bill, Florida legisaltor Dennis Baxley, who admitted that the bill was created because of how 'concerned' he was about kids coming out:
After hours of denying his bill singled out gays, Senator @dennisbaxley admitted the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill was drafted because he was personally concerned so many kids today identify as gay and see themselves as “celebrities.” @CBSMiami pic.twitter.com/VI9cGiBNiN
— Jim DeFede (@DeFede) March 8, 2022
So while the bill will most likely become law, its opponents won a huge moral victory. The goal of the bill was to shut down LGBTQ voices. On that score, it's already failed.
