politics
Florida
Pete Buttigieg Explains Damning Impact of Florida 'Don't Say Gay' Bills
CNN Newsroom host Jim Sciutto asked Buttigieg Wednesday.“Absolutely,” Buttigieg replied. “And the reason is that it tells youth who are different or whose families are different that there’s something wrong with them out of the gate, and I do think that contributes to the shocking levels of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts among LGBTQ youth.” Florida House Bill 1557 and Senate Bill 1834, also known as the "Don't Say Gay" bills, ban schools from encouraging "classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students." Critics have said this type of erasure of queer and trans folks from classrooms could lead to a rise in youth suicide rates.