DeSantis Signs Florida Bill That Opponents Call ‘Don’t Say Gay’

Dolly Parton, rather than the Disney parks.Writing in The Federalist, Joy Pullman ridiculed The Walt Disney Company, claiming its leadership worked to "undermine sexual wholeness."Instead of Disneyland or Walt Disney World, Pullman recommended people vacation at the "more wholesome" Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The article led several social media users to remind Pullman, who is also the executive editor of The Federalist, that Parton has long been an ally of the LGBTQ+ community and welcomes people from all backgrounds into her park.The Walt Disney Company has come under fire lately from conservatives for its criticism of Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis' Parental Rights in Education Bill, aka the "Don't Say Gay" bill.

Disney over its opposition to the controversial "don't say gay" bill, there has been speculation Florida Governor Ron DeSantis may have picked a fight too big even for the political firebrand.After originally remaining silent on HB 1557, which aims to ban the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in certain grades at Florida schools, Disney eventually came out against the legislation and vowed to seek to have it repealed.In response, DeSantis, who signed the bill into law on March 28, has frequently attacked the company, including saying it had "crossed the line" with its opposition to state legislation.The Republican governor has also threatened to disband Disney's so-called special benefits protected under the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which essentially allows Disney to run under its own governing body.On social media, a large number of people have shared the same figures to suggest that if disgruntled Disney workers band together, they would have enough heft to vote DeSantis out of office when he stands for re-election this year.Florida is home to the vast Walt Disney World, one of the world's most popular tourist attractions."Disney employs 77,000 Floridians.

Caitlyn Jenner is finding her footing as Fox News’ newest contributor, and wasting no time alienating herself even further from the LGBTQ community.“As you might know I am trans, but I’m not a trans activist,” Jenner told host Sean Hannity last week. “That’s just one part of my life.

Ron DeSantis.Fine said the proposed legislation will make it a felony for doctors to perform gender assignment surgery on minors, punishable by prison and loss of medical license. He said that the acts would be considered child abuse.Fine told Newsweek that parents would be charged with felony child abuse as well.I've had enough.

https://t.co/f8qA6YRI8I— Chasten Buttigieg (@Chasten) April 4, 2022On Monday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and his husband Chasten shared details about their twins’ first day in daycare.While Pete Buttigieg mentioned all “the bottles… little jars of baby food… spoons” and everything else that parents rely on to raise kids, Chasten Buttigieg merely tweeted, “If anyone saw me walking around Target looking a little confused and sad earlier today now you know.”Of course, Pete and Chasten Buttigieg are just one of several famous gay couples raising kids.The actor couple’s twins — a son named Gideon and a daughter named Harper — were born via surrogate in October 2010.“We live up in Harlem so they see a ton of stuff, and they’re exposed to stuff at a young age,” Burka said in an Us magazine interview.

Is New York City going to be this shitty?On Monday of this week, New York City Mayor Eric Adams unveiled an ad campaign to coax LGBTQ+ Floridians who are upset about the new “don’t say gay” law to move to Gotham. “We want you here in New York,” Adams said. “This is the city of Stonewall. This is the city where we are proud to talk about how you can live in a comfortable setting and not be harassed, not be abused — not only as adults but also as young people.”I found some irony in this campaign.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who came to Fort Worth in 2016 to grandstand with a press conference denouncing the school district’s policies on who could use its public restrooms, is coming after LGBTQ students again, this time by promising to make a Texas version of Florida’s hateful “Don’t Say Gay” bill one of his legislative priorities in 2023. (Tammye Nash/Dallas Voice)

Randy Rainbow has waded into the battle over Florida’s newly-signed “Don’t Say Gay” law. In his latest video, he blasts Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, calling him a “slimy self-interested douchebag.” He also claims DeSantis buys all his suits “off the clearance rack of Burlington coat factory.”As we say at Queerty: them’s fighting words!Rainbow has built a career making parody videos, often lampooning anti-LGBTQ politicians for their ignorance and hate-mongering.

Randy Rainbow’s latest video says something newly forbidden in the state of Florida, thanks to the signing of the “don’t say gay” bill, and it’s that he’s “Gaaaay!”The musical satirist’s latest video, “Gay!”, opens with him “interviewing” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

According to the mayor's office, it will be promoted in five Florida markets.The bill was nicknamed after a section that says it prohibits "classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grade levels or in a specified manner." The bill, which Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law last week, has sparked anger from many LGBTQ activists, companies and celebrities.This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

The St. Augustine Record.Following the outcry, Willets "immediately" spoke with the teacher and demanded the removal of the shirt, which they complied with.

On Thursday, a group of Florida school-age students, parents of LGBTQ youth, and a teacher filed suit against a recent bill signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis that prohibits LGBTQ-related content or lessons in primary grade classrooms.The lawsuit, filed in U.S.

An LGBTQ+ advocacy group in Florida has sued Governor Ron DeSantis after he signed the highly problematic ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill on Tuesday 29 March.We're proud to represent our extraordinary plaintiffs in challenging Florida’s discriminatory and unconstitutional #DontSayGay law.Here’s our complaint: https://t.co/oYKRz1wYCb@NCLRights @equalityfl @family_equality pic.twitter.com/GI5rQSQrPc— Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP (@KaplanHecker) March 31, 2022The lawsuit has been filed in a federal court in Tallahassee by the National Centre for Lesbian Rights on behalf of Equality Florida and Family Equality. They each believe that the new law is a violation of the First Amendment rights to free expression and other provisions of the United States Constitution.In a statement announcing their proceedings against the Governor, the LGBTQ+ group says that “This effort to control young minds through state censorship — and to demean LGBTQ lives by denying their reality — is a grave abuse of power.” The case also states that “The United States Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed that LGBTQ people and their families are at home in our constitutional order. The State of Florida has no right to declare them outcasts, or to treat their allies as outlaws, by punishing schools where someone dares to affirm their identity and dignity.”  A post shared by NCLR (@nclrights)In addition to this, the lawsuit includes statements from parents affected by the bill, including this emotional one from Dan and Brent VanTice: “Already, our children have told us that they are afraid that they will not be able to talk about their parents at school.

Donald Trump told some fans on Wednesday night that they didn’t “look gay.”During a fundraiser supporting Republican congressional candidate and former Trump administration Housing and Urban Development department official John Gibbs, someone shouted “Gays for Trump!”Trump then asked, “Where’s Gays for Trump?” After someone responded “We’re over here!” Trump looked in their direction and said, “You don’t look gay.”He then told the crowd, “We did great with the gay population,” while the crowd laughed.A video of the exchange has garnered more than 90,000 views on Twitter. Gibbs is opposing freshmen Michigan GOP Rep.

Ron DeSantis—one based on parental rights and the other on transparency in curriculum—a group of parents in Oregon took local action against what they say is a lack of honesty and clarity in their kids' classroom lessons.In the state's North Clackamas School District, the grassroots group Oregon Moms Union held a small press conference this week calling out a principal and counselor from the district's Oregon Trail Elementary School for teaching a lesson about gender identity and expression to fifth-graders without parents' permission.According to Kori Haynes, Oregon Moms Union's Clackamas School District captain, it was a few weeks ago that the school's principal Jackie Brody and counselor Gianna Bargetto presented her son's fifth-grade class with a worksheet for "The Genderbread Person."The fill-in-the-blank worksheet is "a teaching tool for breaking the big concept of gender down into bite-sized, digestible pieces," according to genderbread.org, with the website touting the resource as "great for lesson plans and one-on-one guided walkthroughs." The worksheet is one of several materials cited by Governor Ron DeSantis' office as having been used in Florida public schools to the chagrin of some parents. The worksheet has also been utilized in schools in Arizona, California and Louisiana, among other states."He and the other students were told to rate themselves on scales from masculine to feminine, from heterosexual, bisexual and homosexual, from woman to nonbinary man.

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis appears to be using the “Don’t Say Gay“ legislation he signed into law with barely any notice Monday as the new flag of his bible-based anti-LGBTQ re-election campaign.

press release.House Bill 1557 was signed into law Monday by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

according to The Hill. It's the first lawsuit against what's formally called the Parents Right in Education Bill, which Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law on Monday.The law states that it seeks to "reinforce a parent's fundamental right to make decisions regarding the care and upbringing of his or her child in the public school setting."Also, the newly-signed law says that no discussion on "sexual orientation or gender identity" from either school personnel or other third parties may take place in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards."The suit, The Hill reports, says the law violates both the First and the Fourteenth Amendment rights of students, teachers and parents in the Sunshine State.

On March 30, 2022, NCLR, with our colleagues at Kaplan, Hecker & Fink LLP, filed a new lawsuit challenging Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” legislation, which Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law on March 28. Along with several students, parents, and teachers, we represent Equality Florida, which has over 400,000 members, and Family Equality, the nation’s leading group for LGBTQ-parent families and their children. 

controversial so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill was signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, according to WESH.The bill, HB1557, states that "the bill reinforces a parent's fundamental right to make decisions regarding the care and upbringing of his or her child in the public school setting."Also, according to the text in the bill, "classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards."In response to Newsweek, Southern Progress PAC volunteer Ally Sammarco said the group is doing this in order to "combat the harmful and unnecessary 'Don't Say Gay' bill.""The bill is quite frankly, a solution looking for a problem. We should let kids talk about who they are and where they come from, without fear of repercussions.

Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is the leading defendant in a massive 80-page lawsuit by Equality Florida against the “Don’t Say Gay” law he signed this week. Roberta Kaplan, one of the nation’s top civil rights lawyers, who successfully argued the Supreme Court case that effectively overturned the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA),  is the lead attorney on the case.“Florida House Bill 1557 (widely known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law) is an unlawful attempt to stigmatize, silence, and erase LGBTQ people in Florida’s public schools.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a bill that bans classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity for young students. Opponents, who fear for the impact on youngsters, refer to the measure as the "Don't say gay" bill.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg slammed Florida’s new “Don’t Say Gay” law, signed this week by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

A court challenge is almost certain for Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill that Republican Governor and potential 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis signed March 28, although that doesn't mean the law will be thrown out anytime soon. The Parental Rights in Education bill, or House Bill 1557, will not allow classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K-3, while "age-appropriate" teaching would be allowed in older grades — though it is not clear what is considered "age-appropriate." The bill would also permit parents to sue schools or teachers who violate the legislation; it affects public schools and goes into effect on July 1.Equality Florida, the statewide LGBTQ rights organization in the Sunshine State, noted that DeSantis picked a dubious venue in which to sign the bill.

Hillbilly Elegy, and Josh Mandel, the former Ohio state treasurer and two-time U.S. Senate candidate who is back for his third run,  blames Democrats and President Biden for NCAA rules that allow transgender females to compete on women’s sports teams in her most recent campaign commercial, reports The Hill..Given Vance and Mandel’s previous appeals to social conservatives by attacking the transgender and two-spirit communities, Timken, the third of three frontrunners in the GOP field — who heretofore was viewed as the more “establishment” figure — is hoping the ad gains traction and allows her to consolidate Republican primary voters behind her campaign.Thomas, who previously competed for UPenn’s men’s swimming team during her first three years in college, has particularly become a favorite target of conservatives, who balk at the idea that she was allowed to compete in women’s swimming after having received hormone therapy for two-and-a-half years (under NCAA rules, trans women are able to compete after finishing a year of hormone therapy).

Ron DeSantis on Tuesday discussed The Walt Disney Company speaking out against his state's Parental Rights in Education bill, noting the Disney's cruise line features a stop in a nation where homosexual intercourse is illegal.DeSantis made the comments during an appearance on Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tonight. DeSantis hit out at Disney for recently taking a stand for LGBTQ+ rights after employees protested the company's silence about Florida's so-called "Don't Say Gay" education bill, which prohibits teaching kids lessons on sexuality, gender identity and sexual orientation in ways that are deemed inappropriate.After DeSantis signed the education bill into law on Monday, Disney released a statement that said its "goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts..." The statement also proclaimed the company is dedicated to standing up for LGBTQ+ people across the nation.DeSantis told Carlson he felt Disney only offered public pushback to the legislation after the "woke mob" came after the company.

according to the Scioto Valley Guardian. The bracelet featured the name 'First Capital Pride,' an LGBTQ advocacy group.Bowen then took off his bracelet and gave it to a student.

Ron DeSantis said on Tuesday that the Walt Disney Company "crossed a line" by announcing its plan to repeal the Florida legislation known as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, which was officially signed into law on Monday.In a press conference in Tallahassee on Tuesday, DeSantis told reporters, "For Disney to come out and put a statement and say that the bill should have never passed and that they are going to actively work to repeal it, I think one was fundamentally dishonest, but two, I think that crossed the line."The bill has been the topic of national controversy in recent months, as it prohibits the public school teaching and discussion of sexual orientation for children ages 5 to 9. Disney condemned the bill after CEO Bob Chapek initially stayed silent on the matter, causing the company's employees to stage a walkout in protest.On Monday, Disney announced that the company planned to work to get the bill repealed after it was signed.

HB 1557 into law yesterday afternoon. Known officially as the ‘Parental Rights in Education’ bill, it’s been dubbed by many the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill.Aimed at schools, it seeks to ban the discussion of LGBTQ topics mainly at the primary grade level.

On Monday, March 28, Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed the so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill into law. The legislation officially known as the Parental Rights in Education bill has been widely criticised for being anti-LGBTQ+ as it restricts “classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity” for students in kindergarten up to third grade.The bill also mandates that staff members out queer youth to their families, as they are required to notify parents of any change to a “student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being”.The Republican politician completed the final step in introducing the measure in a staged ceremony surrounded by a group of school children, some of whom held signs reading, “Protect children, support parents”.the don't say gay bill, which bans discussion of anything LGBTQ in schools, has passed i want to take the hand of every parent who rooted for and voted for this, and tell them lovingly that their queer child will be queer regardless of whether or not you let them talk about it— matt (@mattxiv) March 28, 2022Speaking ahead of the event, DeSantis stated that those who oppose the bill “support sexualising kids in kindergarten”, “support injecting woke gender ideology into second-grade classrooms”, and “support enabling schools to transition students to a different gender without the knowledge of the parent, much less without the parent’s consent”.He added that teaching students that “they can be whatever they want to be” is “inappropriate”.The ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill was passed by the Florida Senate earlier this month, by a vote of 22-17.

Disney condemned Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill being signed into law and said its goal is for the legislation to be “repealed” or “struck down in the courts”.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a law banning lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in elementary schools, a step that critics say will hurt the LGBTQ community.

The Biden administration once again is warning Florida about its widely-criticized and possibly unconstitutional “Don’t Say Gay” bill which Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law Monday afternoon while surrounded by young children. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona Monday afternoon warned he will be “monitoring this law upon implementation to evaluate whether it violates federal civil rights law.”

Florida’s highly controversial ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill has been signed into law by the state’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis.

ABOVE: Mirror, mirror ... NM, we know the answer.

2021 ceremony which left us snoozing, this year had plenty of excitement, glamour, and gayness to keep us interested. Those moments also extend far beyond a now-infamous slap between two of Hollywood’s biggest stars. In case you missed it, have a look at a recap of Oscar 2022’s gayest moments to fill us with joy, pride, or that made us just laugh out loud… all told in convenient GIF form.DeBose became the first out-queer woman of color to pick up the Best Supporting Actress award.

Via Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Twitter feed

Disney Company has officially condemned the controversial Florida legislation known as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, which was signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday.The condemnation, which comes from a Disney spokesperson and was obtained by Deadline, comes after the company faced backlash from its employees and customers over its complicated response to the bill. After Disney CEO Bob Chapek refused to give a direct statement on the bill, the company's employees staged walkouts demanding action."Florida's HB 1557, also known as the 'Don't Say Gay' bill, should never have passed and should never have been signed into law," said a Disney spokesperson in the statement released Monday.

Moments after Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida signed an anti-L.G.B.T.Q. bill into law on Monday, Disney released a statement condemning it and saying that its “goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down by the courts.” Disney employs roughly 80,000 people in the Orlando area.

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed the so-called Don't Say Gay bill Monday, March 28, which is almost certain to prompt lawsuits as opponents question the legality of legislation they see as harmful and discriminatory.At a news conference, DeSantis said teaching kindergarten-aged kids that "they can be whatever they want to be" was "inappropriate.""It's not something that's appropriate for any place, but especially not in Florida," he said.House Bill 1557, titled "Parental Rights in Education," will not allow classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K-3, while "age-appropriate" teaching would be allowed in older grades — though it is not clear what is considered "age-appropriate." The bill would also allow parents to sue schools or teachers who violate the legislation.When the measure cleared the Florida Legislature earlier this month, statewide LGBTQ+ rights organization Equality Florida promised it would "lead legal action against the state of Florida to challenge this bigoted legislation.""We will not sit by and allow the governor's office to call us pedophiles," the group said in a statement.DeSantis' signature comes after nationwide pushback from top LGBTQ+ organizations, Democrats, LGBTQ+ youth, corporations, and the White House. According to Equality Florida, over 600,000 people sent emails to lawmakers in opposition to the legislation.DeSantis also pushed back against critics of the legislation, saying: "I don't care what Hollywood says.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed controversial legislation derided as the “don’t say gay” bill into law Monday.

The greatest damage Donald Trump did may not be in the actions he took, but in the influence he had. Donald Trump isn’t the brightest bulb. He’s tremendously talented as a room-reader and as a reflector of emotion, but he is no brilliant tactician, no wise sage, no erudite intellectual.

Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to sign the possibly unconstitutional “Don’t Say Gay“ bill, which mandates schools “out” LGBTQ students to parents, on Monday at a taxpayer-funded charter school that has two board-approved anti-LGBTQ clubs.

Jessica Chastain used the acceptance speech for her first-ever Academy Award to call out “discriminatory” legislation in America.

Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer and Regina Hall commanded Hollywood’s biggest night this year, with an Oscars telecast that ran a full three hours, 40 minutes. Of course, the evening also had its share of queer moments as well.To recap the top awards of the evening: queer actress Ariana DeBose took home the Best Supporting Actress award for her performance in West Side Story.

Beyoncé opened the 2022 Oscars like it was halftime at the Super Bowl, dressed in tennis-ball yellow, backed by a chorus of singers and dancers on the tennis courts in Compton where the Williams Sisters learned to play, all while performing her nominated song “Be Alive” from King Richard.

tweeted “I just had the balls to stand up for women and girls in sports.”Jenner has previously spoken about opposing trans girls participating in girls’ sports in school.Earlier this week, DeSantis issued a proclamation that declared University of Virginia swimmer Weyant as the “rightful winner,” and she had swum the “fastest time among all women swimmers.”Weyant is a Sarasota, Fla., native and won a silver medal at the 2020 Olympic games, according to USA Today.DeSantis’ proclamation reads that "since [Weyant] is a native Floridian from Sarasota, I, Ron DeSantis, Governor of the State of Florida, do hereby declare in Florida that Emma Weyant is the rightful winner of the 2022 NCAA Division I Women's 500-yard Freestyle."The Florida governor has been in the national spotlight after the state’s legislature passed what LGBTQ+ advocates have called the “don’t say gay” bill, which prohibits instruction about sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade and places a vague requirement of “age-appropriate” instruction in all grade levels.He’s expected to sign the bill into law soon.

HB 1557, the Parental Rights in Education” bill. It’s been more commonly dubbed the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill as seeks to ban the discussion of LGBTQ topics mainly at the primary grade level.The legislation passed the Republican-held House and Senate and is now awaiting signing by Governor Ron DeSantis.