Read the 13 Rejected Amendments to Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Bill

Florida lawmakers rejected several amendments to the "Don't Say Gay" bill Monday ahead of a vote on the controversial legislation.

The bill has sparked a national outcry from many people who say it would cause harm to LGBTQ+ students by creating hostile environments for them at school. But supporters of the bill say it would ensure students are being taught about sexual orientation and gender identity at the appropriate age.

State senators introduced 13 amendments for the bill—some of which aimed to broaden the scope of the bill to include a broader ban on discussions about sexuality in schools. Meanwhile, other lawmakers tried to introduce protections for LGBTQ+ students through the amendment process. But every amendment was rejected by the Florida State Senate.

  • Republican Senator Jeffrey Brandes introduced an amendment that would expand the bill to include a ban on classroom instructions about "human sexuality, including, but not limited to, curricula addressing sexual activity," rather than just discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity.
  • Senator Gary Farmer, a Democrat, proposed an amendment that would have changed a different statute on health education, requiring schools to teach about the benefits of "monogamous" marriage instead of "heterosexual" marriage.
  • Farmer also introduced an amendment removing language that would prohibit "classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grade levels or in a specified manner."
  • Senator Janet Cruz, a Democrat, proposed an amendment that would have required schools to protect the categories of "gender identity" and "sexual orientation."
  • Democratic Senator Annette Taddeo introduced an amendment that the legislation would "not limit or alter any obligation of school district personnel to report suspected abuse, abandonment, or neglect."
  • Senator Tina Polsky, a Democrat, introduced an amendment seeking to define gender identity and sexual orientation.
  • Senator Shevrin Jones, a Democrat, introduced an amendment changing language banning discussion on gender identity and sexual orientation in a way that is not "age-appropriate" for language banning conversations "intended to change" a student's sexual orientation or gender identity.
  • Senator Lauren Book, a Democrat, introduced an amendment seeking to carve out exceptions to allow discussing sexual orientation and gender identity as they pertain to family structures, objective historic events, bullying prevention and a student's individual education plan.
  • An amendment introduced by Senator Randolph Bracy, a Democrat, would have allowed discussions about gender identity between transgender, gender nonconforming, non-binary and LGBTQ+ students with their peers.
  • Democratic Senators Audrey Gibson, Jason Pizzo and Linda Stewart each introduced separate amendments that changed the legal processes included in the bill should parents raise concerns about a school's curriculum.
  • An amendment introduced by Democrat Lori Stewart would have mandated the state's Department of Education to create a pamphlet helping parents teach students about sexual orientation and gender identity.
"Don't Say Gay" bill amendments rejected
Several amendments to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill were rejected Monday. Here, pride flags are seen in New York in June 2020. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

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