Federal ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill proposed by US Republicans
The bill goes further than aiming to prevent children under 10 learning about LGBTQ topics.
US LGBTQ activists are calling out ‘Don’t Say Gay, Don’t Say Trans’-like proposals that could see children across the US from accessing LGBTQ resources in schools and beyond.
Because of this, some have called it a US-wide version of Florida’s recently-introduced bill.
Republican Congressman Mike Johnson from Louisiana and 32 colleagues put forward the Stop the Sexualization of Children Act of 2022.
The bill would stop the use of government money “to develop, implement, facilitate, or fund any sexually-oriented program, event, or literature for children under the age of 10, and for other purposes.”
It would impact any program funded by the government in public libraries, government-funded schools, military bases, and hospitals.
This is unlike Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay, Don’t Say Trans’ (DSG, DST) bill which focused solely on LGBTQ discussions in schools.
Expanding on Florida’s example, this bill seeks to prevent events like Drag Queen Story Hour sessions.
The bill claims school districts have used federal money for sex education for children.
And it claims that local libraries, museums, and other services have “purchased sexually-oriented literature”.
This material teaches children “about concepts like masturbation, pornography, sexual acts, and gender transition,” the bill claims.
Under the bill, parents would be able to sue if they believe a child under 10 has been “exposed” to such material.
The bill defines “Sexually-oriented material” as “any depiction, description, or simulation of sexual activity, any lewd or lascivious depiction or description of human genitals.”
Continuing, it includes “any topic involving gender identity, gender dysphoria, transgenderism, sexual orientation, or related subjects.”
In a statement, Johnson describes the proposal as “commonsense”. He accused the Democratic Party and others of being “on a misguided crusade to immerse young children in sexual imagery and radical gender ideology.”
Reacting to the proposal one person describes the new bill as Florida’s Don’t Say Gay, Don’t Say Trans “on steroids”.
Someone else writes it’s “dehumanizing and disgusting” equating LGBTQ people to sexually explicit material.
Picking up on anything transgender being “sexually-oriented material” one user warns that trans teachers could be fired.
This proposal is the latest in a growing number of homophobic and transphobic bills in the US.
Other bills have stopped trans youth from taking part in school sports teams that match their gender identity. Some have stopped trans people using bathrooms that match their gender identity.