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.
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| Disney wants LGBTQ business but will not condemn Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill. |
As Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill nears passage (and it probably will pass), the Disney Corporation is in trouble. And for good reason.
From The Advocate
As Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill — which would ban discussion of LGBTQ+ topics in primary grades — rapidly moves closer to becoming a reality, Disney has come under increasing scrutiny for its history of donating to the politicians behind the bill and its apparent intention to continue doing so.Under the mounting pressure, Disney CEO Bob Chapek affirmed to employees today that the company “unequivocally” stands with its LGBTQ+ workers and says that there’s more the company needs to do in that regard. At the same time, Chapek made his case for why the company isn’t speaking out more in a memo sent to Disney staff.“On Friday, I met with a small group of Disney LGBTQ+ leaders to discuss controversial legislation pending in Florida that would impact their communities,” Chapek wrote. “I want to be crystal clear: I and the entire leadership team unequivocally stand in support of our LGBTQ+ employees, their families, and their communities. And, we are committed to creating a more inclusive company — and world. I understand that the very need to reiterate that commitment means we still have more work to do.”Chapek went on to explain that the reason Disney hasn’t made a public statement is that he feels they do “very little to change outcomes or minds. Instead, they are often weaponized by one side or the other to further divide and inflame. Simply put, they can be counterproductive and undermine more effective ways to achieve change.”While Chapek addressed previous donations in the memo, he made no specific promises as to how this aspect of Disney’s operation might change in the future, only that they are being reassessed. “Geoff Morrell, our new Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, will be reassessing our advocacy strategies around the world — including political giving — as he begins to integrate the communications, public policy, government relations, and CSR teams,” Chapek wrote.
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| Christina Pushaw thinks that if you oppose Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill, you're a pedophile. |
The Don't Say Gay' bill in Florida has nothing to do with protecting children. It's all about exploiting people's fear and ignorance of LGBTQ people. It's about accommodating homophobia, transphobia and basic bigotry. Most of all, it's about erasing the lives of certain people to fit false preconceived notions about gays and sexual intercourse for the purpose of gaining political power.
And thank you, Christina Pushaw for proving that point. Who is Ms. Pushaw? She is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's spokesperson and she sent the following tweet on Friday (tweet saved by journalist Judd Legum before she blocked him):
And on Sunday, she makes it worse (because apparently backing down and admitting that you are wrong is not an attribute in politics)
This is the reality. In spite of what the supporters of this bill claim, Pushaw's tweets rings through as fact. The bill specifically targets LGBTQ people while hiding behind the 'protecting children' lie. When people hear the word 'gay,' they automatically think about sexual intercourse and when they hear about transgender people, they automatically think about surgeries. The truth behind being gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, etc encompasses more than surgeries or physical carnality.
But the Florida bill isn't about these complexities and facts. It's about whittling down LGBTQ lives to weaponized soundbites. It's about stigmatizing and smearing LGBTQ people for predatory purposes. It's no secret that DeSantis wants to run for president. And Pushaw is doing everything she can to ride his coattails even if it means building a road to the Oval Office paved with the lives damaged by the 'Don't Say Gay' bill.
Supporters of this bill don't care about the school officials it confuses, nor the LGBTQ families it scares and erases. And they definitely don't care about the LGBTQ kids potentially damaged by a part of the bill which says if they confide in school officials, the officials have to tell their parents. They don't care about the forced silence the bill could subject these kids to or their potential depression or suicide. And they definitely don't care about the abuse or neglect these children could be subjected to if they are outed to their parents.
They simply repeat nonsensical mantras about "'recruiting" or "grooming" and things like "let kids be kids" and "parents know best." The supporters of Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill seem to think that repeating these things will drown out the voices of those the bill will hurt.
Because as long as they don't have to hear these voices, they don't have to care.
