On March 28 in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law that prohibited classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity to students in kindergarten through third grade. To say the legislation has drawn much attention and controversy is an incredible understatement. In what is posed to become a focal point of the midterm elections in November, the issue of parents’ involvement in their children’s education has been brought to the national forefront with this law.
Many on the Left, with help of their allies in the media, have branded the law as ‘don’t say gay’ in an effort to generate faux-outrage. The idea behind the ‘don’t say gay’ slogan is to spread disinformation about the content of the bill, leading to common misconceptions that the legislation bans people from saying the word ‘gay’ in schools or outlawing homosexuality in the entire state. Some involved with this deceitful campaign, have even begun to frame the debate as “parental rights chip away at gay rights” as seen from a CNN headline. Therein lies how this malicious disinformation campaign by the Left goes against the very discrimination they claim they’re trying to fight.
In framing the Florida law as a battle between gay individuals and parents, the Left is setting up the former to fail. In a broad sense, there are far more parents in America than there are those who identify as gay. By claiming that equality between straight and gay people can only be achieved when parents are shut out of the classroom, the leftist media is creating yet another divide between groups of Americans.
What equality means for gay Americans is the ability for us to love who we want to love without fear of discrimination or harm. This involves the ability for us to marry, be employed, own a home, and more with the person who we want to be with. On the other hand, this does not involve forcing every 5 year old child of every parent to learn about homosexual relationships, or even more complex, transgender and ‘non-binary’ identities.
What if children learn about straight relationships but not gay ones? Little children inadvertently learning about straight relationships is a natural part of our hetero-dominated society. To put it simply, in order for humanity to continue, men and women must procreate. This being the case, it is only natural for straight people and thereby heterosexuality to be the supermajority. With this in mind, children learning about straight relationships first is not only natural but also right! It should be the societal assumption that children will grow up to be straight until they reach the age when they can determine their own sexuality for themselves.
In a world where social media and the internet is increasingly dominant, it will not take long for children to find out about the existence of other sexualities. Whenever they do, the conversation that follows is for them to have with their parents, not their teachers. Even more so, it is certainly not a conversation teachers should be initiating with their students.
Matthew Convard
Matthew J Convard is a graduate from Glastonbury High School and a student at the University of Connecticut where he is pursuing a major in political science and a minor in economics. He aspires to become an elected official and serve his country.
The views expressed in this article are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Lone Conservative staff.
@MattConvard