Thread by @equalityfl

‼️ The Don’t Say Gay bull is up in its final hearing today. Senate Appropriations. We are on the ground with dozens of Floridians ready to share their stories.

We will keep you updated here. And you can watch live. Hearing begins at 10:30a.

thefloridachannel.org

Don’t Say Gay is up first.

In questions, Sen. @dennisbaxley acknowledges that this bill is not solving a known problem.

Sen. @SenAudrey2eet : What lesson plans are being used to educate children on sexual orientation and gender identity?

8 weeks into this process, Sen. @dennisbaxley says he’ll have to look.

Sen. @LindaStewartFL : Does the bill cover after school clubs? (Like GSAs)

Sen. @dennisbaxley : No.

Sen. @JeffreyBrandes : Would heterosexual conversations be allowed under the bill?

Sen. @dennisbaxley : No.

Blanket bans impact everyone.

Sen. @JeffreyBrandes : Where in this bill does this bill prohibit conversations about “sexual activity” in K-3? If you’re only exempting sexual orientation or gender identity, those other conversations could be allowed.

Sen. @darrylrouson : You say that you can’t name a specific outcry about this issue prompting this bill. Do you think this bill is more fear stoking than addressing an issue?

GOP Sen. @JeffreyBrandes has filed an amendment to remove “sexual orientation and gender identity” from the bill and replace with “human sexuality and sexual activity”.

Would make the bill a sex ed bill — which is already heavily regulated in FL.

Our Public Policy Director Jon Harris Maurer expresses Equality Florida’s support for the amendment.

Openly LGBTQ Rep. @CarlosGSmith came and filled out a public speaker card to speak on Senator Brandes’ amendment.

Senator @kellistargel blocks him from speaking.

The amendment fails, with Sen. @JeffreyBrandes joining Democrats in support of it.

Sen. @kellistargel announces that there are 4 speaker cards in opposition to the bill for every 1 in support.

Floridians have come from across the state to testify.

Public testimony persists nearly an hour in. An overwhelming number of those in attendance oppose the Don't Say Gay bill. Including students who traveled 7 hours from South Florida.

. @senpizzo is angry that after delaying a bill analysis for days, no one from @EducationFL was sent to help explain their analysis of the bill.

3 months after removing LGBTQ anti-bullying resources from their website, they are absent on Don't Say Gay.

.@SenAudrey2eet : We are who we are. We're all human beings...until we have a bill that is much more explanatory, is much less discriminatory, then I will not be able to support this.

Sen. @LeaderBookFL , a former educator: Florida educators are not indoctrinating young children...these are professionals.

Leader Book notes that we trust teachers to be educators, first responders, and even security guards. We should trust them to teach.

. @senpizzo : These real and personal stories are not hypotheticals...today's presentation and speakers did nothing but cloud understanding of what students and teachers will be allowed to say in a classroom. I trust the teachers.

GOP Sen. @JeffreyBrandes : We have the opportunity to soften this...to not impact our neighbors in the way that you've seen them impacted today. I am not going to support the bill today in hopes that we can find a way to love our neighbors.

Sen. @dennisbaxley : I'm a guy who doesn't hate anyone.

Senator Baxley has said that a child with "two mommies" was in the same kind of "dysfunctional" environment as a child with an "abusive father" or "drug addict" as a parent.

By a vote of 12-8, Don't Say Gay passes its final committee. It will now go to the Senate floor.

GOP Sen. @JeffreyBrandes joined Democrats in voting no.