Gov. DeSantis To Expand Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill

Democracies that die most often die a death from a thousand little cuts. 

Each small step promoted by some ‘fearless leaders is seen to be an annoying but tolerable breech of the norms and the principles that hold democracies together. First, some 'fearless leader' says we do not want to have our youngest children indoctrinated with LBGTQ ideology, or that fact-checked news from  some sources with journalistic standards is 'fake news' - small cuts that outrage a few but only annoys most.

Next the 'fearless leader' extends the initial policies to deeper levels like the extension to the 'don't say gay' policy, demeans the free press and publicly erodes the trust in those other core institutions which promote, practice or enforce the ideals and principles that are key to maintaining a functional democratic governance - more small cuts inflicted on the body politic.

Then there are more small cuts such as burning books that may challenge the 'fearless leader's' narrative, like those that dare to document real history or address our country’s racist history - and often promoted by some meaningless catch phrase like 'this is the place where ''wokeness'' goes to die'. 

The annoying policies that started to 'keep our youngest children safe' are extended to all educational institutions to reduce the possibility of academic challenges to the 'leaders' promoted false narrative. Governmental institutions are tasked to monitor news outlets and report any ‘fake news’ assertions that others dare to promote. More small cuts - any one of which would have been intolerable at the outset are now seen as annoying extensions of policies already in place.

The ‘fearless leader’ begins to assume the authority to use the levers of government to quickly discredit or punish any person or organization that can challenge them (e.g. Disney). 

More small cuts, and eventually, the body politic is bleeding so badly that it no longer has the strength needed to resist the onslaught of the barrage of increasing small cuts yet to come.

These are the steps taken by all autocracies to assure dominance of their governance over the will of or common good of the people. DeSantis as a student of history, has studied these tried and true tactics, and is employing them for his personal political ambitions. DeSantis is a dangerous man. 

The only way to keep the body politic from finally bleeding out and succumbing to a budding autocracy is to identify and call out each and every small cut for the dangers that they each represent and the hazards inherent with extending the damage of future deeper wounds by extending the policies of each small cut or by the collective wound of all the small cuts taken together.

Israel struggling with judicial 'overhaul' 

America's judicial overhaul is done - right wing

this is how democracies die when you lose free speech, freedom of press, criminal impunity, right wing judiciary, disinformation etc 

XiSantis is simply a quieter calculated version of trump, erdogan, xi, putin, sisi, modi, kim

DeSantis is a dictator in sheep's clothing.  Banning books, hating minorities and everything that comes out of his mouth, is suspect. I am constantly appalled by the quality and characters of candidates chosen by the Repugnants.  Burn, baby, burn, I say.

Florida schools have bigger problems. According to Stanford University, Florida schools have the lowest learning rates, learning 12% less from 3rd to 8th grade from 2009 to 2019.

 https://edopportunity.org/explorer/#/map/none/districts/avg/ses/all/3.5/38/-97/

 https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/2023/01/05/floridas-education-system-is-vastly-underperforming-column/?outputType=amp

This is just another of the Republican party's attempts to encroach too far into the lives of American citizens.  Just let people be when they are not doing any harm to anyone else.

Stop calling this bill what it is not. When you call the bill the "Don't Say Gay Bill" you are showing your bias and simply perpetuating an untruth. Debate the bill on its merits and what is actually in the bill. Naming the bill based on the characterization of its opposition is disingenuous. 

Protect our children! Protect them from sexualixed shows at school. Protect them from being exposed to sexually graphic books in their school libraries.  Teachers should not be withholding information about our children from us! Let the parents be parents. 

The "Don't Say Gay" movement is truly idiotic, and it reminds me of the three Monkeys of Hear, Speak, and See no "evil." First of all, "Gay" is not "evil" and is simply a fact of human existence; the idea that not addressing the topic of LGBTQ issues and the history of this demographic is a denial of reality, and such denial never leads to a positive outcome. Here is a heads-up to Xenophobic and Homophobic Legislators (none of mine fall into these categories), society will move forward with or without you, and you can install as many obstacles as you choose, but in the end, knowledge and acceptance of reality will prevail.

I won't even get into the fact that Florida's got one of the nation's highest crime rates and lowest literacy rates, so we see from the start his priority is CLEARLY not the people of Florida (at least those who don't make large campaign contributions). This bill is intended only to encourage the "other"-ing of people who aren't cis white males. It's foolish to think that the targeting of the LGBTQ and BIPOC communities, people capable of bearing children, and education are unrelated. It's textbook authoritarianism, all under the guise of "freedom" for the few who hold the majority of the nation's power, money, and privilege and the belief that they are the only ones who deserve it. Banning education is the first step, and all this can only be unclear if you choose not to see it. It's beyond dangerous and will be deadly for many people, especially those in our society who are already most vulnerable. 

I am.absolutely appalled by the behavior of every single elected official who keeps allowing the rampant hate and violence in this country to continue. Censure your vile colleagues such as MTG, challenge the gun industry, and put absolutely clear language into law to protect trans lives, LGBTQ lives, POC, and make your colleagues atone for  the hateful rhetoric being spewed. Anything else is cowardly and inhumane. 

Transgender people have mental issues. There is absolutely no reason why their issues should be pushed onto children. 

The question is why is teaching gender so important to some that they want to push impressionable minds into decisions many regret. I wanted to be a dog when I was 5. Ran around on all 4, barked, and even tried sleeping in a kennel. Did anyone teach me that was ok? No. I thought I could be a superhero at age 7.  No one encouraged that.  I have a cousin who is not fast enough to beat the boys so he is thinking of joining the girls team  

Yet we want to teach people who do not have their minds formed they can become the opposite sex.  And then telling others that after ideas are pushed on them that this is what they want.  

In MN they passed the mutilate our children bill, yet it is hailed a success

sex education is very much needed right now, more than ever. 

In his Nonpreperation for a presidential bid, Gov. DeSantis is pulling out the stops and aligning himself with the self-righteous bigots of Fla. and the rest of those who wish to follow him. Now we will have an interesting split in the Republican party. The gun-toting followers and the religious groups. Now that we will have three political parties it will be interesting to hear the rhetoric.

Schools should be teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic. At the appropriate time for each child, parents have the responsibility to instruct on body changes and what to expect, sexual relations, individual faith relationships, etc. Parents are held accountable to God for the training of children. The taxes of parents fund public schools; therefore teachers should be supporting the parents in the education of their children, not working  against them. Even parents who have placed their children in private schools, religious schools, or take advantage of home schooling, must pay taxes to the local school district. Adults with no school-age children pay taxes to local school districts. Yet government is saying citizens have no rights to know what children are taught in public schools. It does make one wonder what goes on within the walls of public education. Is this the reason children turn from the faith of their parents, have few, if any, moral values, have never had a US history or civics class? Why are children in the United States continuing to fall behind the children of other countries? So that they succeed, I want the children of this country to have the best education possible and the best upbringing possible. It is time for government and educators to realize their job is to support parents in their goals for their children, not working in opposition to parents.

This bill is intended to demonize gay, lesbian and trans gender people and make any discussion about them criminal.  This backward bill is falsely touted to protect parents, but actually is designed to "other" and exclude gay, lesbian and trans gender people - to exclude them, shame them and make knowing or discussing anything about them illegal.  This is the beginning of a dangerous and slippery slope - ask any Jewish person who survived the holocaust - this is exactly how fascism gets a foothold.  We do not need draconian laws that exclude whole populations of American citizens because a religious minortity is uncomfortable. 

The elimination of education and critical thinking is critical to the establishment of a dictatorship.

It is not "don't say gay" - calling it that is demagoguery.

This bill is intended to demonize gay, lesbian and trans gender people and make any discussion about them criminal.  This backward bill is falsely touted to protect parents, but actually is designed to "other" and exclude gay, lesbian and trans gender people - to exclude them, shame them and make knowing or discussing anything about them illegal.  This is the beginning of a dangerous and slippery slope - ask any Jewish person who survived three holocaust - this is exactly how fascism gets a foothold.  We do. It need draconian laws that exclude whole populations of American citizens because a religious minortity is uncomfortable. 

this is appallingly frightening and narrow minded thinking. the actions of a dictator, more akin with a banana republic than the United States of America 

I find myself unable and totally unwilling to support a damn thing that DeSantis and/or the Republican legislature of Florida day or do.  They are entirely homophobic and singularly guided by the evangelistic ultra right that thump the Bible and condemn nearly everything that anyone does that opposes their "christian????" beliefs.  You disgust me!  You might as well go the last step on your very non-Christian agenda and call for the execution of the entire LGBTQA community.  Where is it written that you are God's voice?  Where is it written that you have the right or obligation to interpret or put words in the mouth of God or Jesus Christ?  If God determined to judge the LGBTQA community, it will be God and Jesus Christ who determines to do so not you hypocritical assholes!  In the meantime, as a nation, we have the balls to criticize other nations for their treatment of women and minority groups while we suffer bullshit laws that prevent women from controlling their own bodies and penalize and refuse to accept the LGBTQA   Community for being or becoming what they were born to be.  Congratulations to all of you, you have made us a second rate third world country!

Trying to whitewash the facts of life ain't gonna make them

disappear.

Going back in time. Like the Scopes monkey trials. Crazy. Will have a lot more unwanted pregnancies at the same time as banning abortions. Catering to the minority for political goals. Another demagogue.  

It time to stake out a middle position and compromised.  Extremist on both sides are tearing the counry apart with their "my way or no way" rhetoric.  

Politicians need stop their catering to party extremes and govern for the vast majority caught in the middle.

Yes, I support the bill. It's Carraige us for the governor to stand tall. I am in Negro and I'm proud to be one. I don't want any special interest groups to attach their self and pretend that we agree with them was all the money that these groups gotten from aid, they use it to buy out much of the politicians and yes, the Negro community we have no one standing for us. Our boys are not Being heard we are being drowned out. We are conservative and always been conservative in those areas. I am against African studies attached to black history. They're two different groups two different issues I'm against pan. African being attached to my group is the Negro it has nothing to do with me , they have the funds to create their own. I'm not interested and I don't support intersection. I do not support the letter. People attaching their selves to my group, almond proud Negro, and no one should have any more protection of the law then everybody else would I understand these groups of people have protection under the law what they're asking for is double protection , I take voting very serious and I take that our presidents that are choose, chosen by the people in for the people who swore on the oath of the office did the same I had no idea that Barack Obama was not who he said he was and he supported these alphabet people, and put them into the category with me being a Negro  I have nothing to do with that. He committed fraud in my opinion he undermined country when he did that cause he's for these these groups, and he did acknowledge that later on in his and his presidency this is where the trouble lies when you have presidents lying about who they actually support and swear on the Bible or Leo's that they're not that way, and it ends up there exactly , we need to go to that source and really scrutinize them about their choices because it appears this person really had his own agenda but the public and some conservative people were being used by him. I don't want this child in school I have to dodge programs that have these people these alphabet people in there kissing there's cartoons that have this make no mistake. I can't help the color of my skin , I am proud that I am Negro and achievements that my people have made and the support they got for the majority society as well. I do not want these alphabet people bundled along with me. We have a issue with the sensors as well. Obama changed without permission to make me an African-American and I am not an African-American , I'm a Negro it's a bitter, sweet, but my people thought an every single war, the Negro support as a country and always have we are being drowned out and lumped into categories that include other people and we have to separate because we have our own unique identity we are also being lumped in people being dumped into our community that are undocumented that are criminal elements, and will be also being blamed for the crime  The Florida governor, I respect you and the brave decisions that you're doing to make a stand you have people that are harming that are here to harm our society from different countries that are trying to emulate and print pretend to be Negro's and they're not on that sensors we require a separate box distinguishing us as we had in the past. We're not African-Americans , even though one point in time 500 years ago we were we were sold into slavery we have multi racial is who we are in many others are proud of that uniqueness. We don't stand with these with the Africans that are trying to crowbar their self into our group , they are with the Democratic Party many many of them. I don't want to be associate with any group that's been labeled Terrace and they have to go home to their country but they're trying to pretend they are the native black Negro so please look at that senses, Obama had no right to change this census from Negro to African-American he had no rights, no authority you see governor, we have no representation long long time ago. We were abandoned by the NAACP looking for their own interest in making money, and the black caucus for the scams and the abandonment have done nothing to enhance our group, I even watched the Nigerian news two years ago where the black caucus had promised them to bring over 150,000 Nigerians these are money deals that they have made with no permission from us. The NAACP is organization who is communist and after its own interest in running scams to make money in any way possible, they should be defunct and he should have to pay. You should have to pay taxes on their organization , so please look into that as well make us in the senses, a separate box for just the Negro as you have these other Africans and people from the Caribbean Jamaica and Haiti. They need to stand on their own box and not be lumped up with us my father and my children have fought in an all the wars we have not betrayed this country. We are being drowned out by people that are looking for, and they are only interested in to benefit from this, and pretend that they represent us, but I stand with you , I agree with you 1000% and I will support you and say thank you so much. God bless you and the governor of Ohio is starting to also take the stand and God stands with him. We are not we are if we doesn't stop we are approaching Solomon and Gomorrah  I'm afraid, but again thank you and considering what I have to say. God bless you.