Been away from the forum and not participated much lately. I have my own thoughts on this bill, and It's kind of a mish-mash of what you are all saying but not exactly the same either.
First, a disclaimer: I am not from the US and cannot claim to be familiar with the political climate over there. I know things, but they are what I've read on the internet or seen on the news. I have no idea what it actually feels like to live on American soil and and interact in person with regular American people. This doesn't mean my opinions are devalued or nullified, but that I can understand if some (many?) of you may disagree with me. We come from different places, and will have different ideas. That's ok. Don't worry about it.
So here goes.
I am under the impression that the main issue with this controversial bill is the fact that teachers and other educators working in the state of Florida will find themselves in a situation where not only can sexual orientation and gender identity not be discussed in class for kindergarteners and early primary school level kids, but that mere mention of certain words can land them in hot water as if they've committed a crime.
If the above is in any way inaccurate, please tell me.
So, I work as a school teacher and I am gay.
I have mixed feelings about this bill.
I will say upfront that if I were teaching very young kids, I would never even dream of mentioning sexual orientation or gender identity in my classes. First of all, it is of no relevance to my subject. Secondly, and especially with regards to gender identity, the last thing I want to do is to carelessly influence really young kids into needlessly questioning their biological gender. I very much believe trans people exist, and they have my full respect and sympathy as it must be emotionally and psychologically harrowing inhabiting a biologically male/female body but feeling entirely like the opposite sex. Nevertheless, I am genuinely concerned that discussing gender identity with children who are barely out of their nappies may lead to perfectly cisgender kids to become confused and think they are non-binary, or gender fluid, when they actually aren't. I think they can figure it out for themselves when they are older (and pubescent) and that that is no age to bring up these issues,
for no justifiable reason.
I did not bold that last bit for nothing.
HOWEVER,
To completely shut out
ALL discussion regardless of any circumstance that may arise, sounds like something out of a dystopian novel.
So, say I am a class teacher in a primary school teaching six-year-olds. There really is no need for me to bring up sexual orientation or gender identity with such young kids. But, if I have a little boy who acts a little effeminate and likes playing with dolls and I find out that his peers, or maybe even older kids attending the same school are bullying him psychologically or physically (or both), then I must take action. I must make sure the perpetrators are disciplined swiftly for their misdeeds, and if the boy was explicitly called names for being "gay", and especially if derogatory terms were used, then I have a duty to point out to all my pupils that there will be no tolerance for any sort of discrimination against anyone, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
When this happens, I will need to explain to my class the definition of sexual orientation and gender identity, albeit in very simple terms as befits their young age. To make my point,
I will need to mention that gay men, and lisbian* women and transsexual persons exist.
Unfortunately, as I understand it, with this Florida bill I would be ... arrested for doing this?
So no, I guess I don't agree with it.
But I can also understand why many people may be uncomfortable with the LGBT issues being pushed front and centre in every facet of western society.
We need to understand each other.
Somebody calling for LGBT people to be exterminated is a
very dangerous person.
I firmly believe that those calling for the extermination of all those who have even the slightest misgivings on LGBT individuals are
equally dangerous.
I know quite a few people in my own country who simply cannot wrap their heads around the fact that being gay is a thing and that's it's not sinful or intrinsically wrong.
You know what?
I don't hate them or call them homophobes.
I do think they are woefully misinformed and hard-headed, but if they are otherwise friendly and kind to me knowing full-well I am gay, and have never made one malicious move, then why should I disdain them? I may just have to accept that they will never understand this one particular issue, but that doesn't make them awful people. Some of them are the loveliest people I know. But according to the internet these same people are "bigots" and need to be silenced.
I am certain that many Americans backing this bill are not necessarily homophobes. They may just be confused and perhaps worried that "their children may turn out gay." Of course, that doesn't make sense, but they're human like the rest of us, and may make mistakes borne of inaccurate beliefs.
The ones who really worry me are those people who not only fail to understand LGBT issues, but will go out of their way to harm LGBT individuals, perhaps by ruining their relationships with other people, or wrecking their careers using slanderous claims, or hating them so much as to resort to something as extreme as murder.
Those are the ones to watch out for.
Not the ones who are merely confused or perhaps a little bit annoyed at the constant "gay agenda" on TV and on the internet, and who risk being cancelled or ruined if they so much as show they have reservations.
Frankly, I believe these people need to be offered a smile and a friendly hand, and told that it's ok if they're not entirely comfortable with everything that's going on.
I believe that current woke culture is going to cause more division in the long run. While a section of society has certainly become enlightened not to discriminate against minorities, whether sexual, ethnic, racial, etc., it is so aggressive in its stance that it is driving off other good people and making them feel threatened - not even for airing their views but simply for "feeling" a certain way, even if those feelings are never expressed publicly!
That can only give rise to extremism in some of these threatened individuals. Instead of winning them over to your cause, you are only making them bitter and hardening their hearts. In some cases, these people will turn violent and start indoctrinating others to hate the "ones who take away our freedom of speech and who will cancel us just because we speak our mind."
And western society will be left with just two factions: the WOKE, and the anti-WOKE. They both hate each other's guts and want each other dead.
And I know for sure that this can happen to anyone.
"Why?" you ask.
Because it is happening to me.
Surely the fact that I - a gay man who is also on the autistic spectrum - can be sick to my stomach with the woke movement is telling, no?
I simply cannot understand why people cannot try to understand each other's viewpoints in the savage, wild world out there. I have my own issues with the LGBT movement. It feels criminal that I cannot really discuss them in a civil way on Facebook or Twitter lest I be branded a homophobe, or transphobe or God knows what else, and then completely shut out or ruined.
This is wrong on every conceivable level.
I hope this was an interesting read for you guys. And please remember, if you disagree with me that's fine. I just needed to say this. I can assure you everything I just wrote is 100% me and sincere.
*I had to misspell this word because the forum software gets its panties in a twist if I don't.
