The state of Florida introduced a bill restricting school districts from encouraging classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels. The bill is officially called Parental Rights in Education. However, the LBGTQ+ movement has labeled it the “Can’t Say Gay” bill.
Influential leaders, Hollywood activists, and even the White House have decried the bill saying it restricts students’ ability to choose their own sexual orientation. Biden’s press secretary Jen Psaki weighed in earlier this month, “Every parent … hopes that our leaders will ensure their [children’s] safety, protection and freedom, and today conservative politicians in Florida rejected those basic values by advancing legislation that is designed to target and attack kids who need that support the most, kids from LGBTQI+ community.” Keep in mind we are talking about children ages 3 through 10!!
Psaki believes the government should be the gatekeepers when it comes to “ensuring our children’s “safety, protection, and freedoms.” The problem? She believes government, not parents are endowed with better judgment regarding their children’s sexuality. The bill does not “target and attack” kids. It simply places the power of decision, child-rearing, and protection in the hands of parents, not teachers, school boards, and government officials.
Parental responsibility is undeniably biblical. For instance, Paul writes in Ephesians 6:4, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” In the Old Testament, one of the most famous Bible passages in the Torah, called the Shema, places responsibility for child rearing in the hands of parents, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is oneLove the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)
Understanding the Bill
The label “Don’t Say Gay” is simply the product of a narrative that has been created. Children are not and will not be forced to hate gay people. I am a parent to three young boys (9, 7 and 6 years old). I assure you, my children are not fully ready to have discussions about human sexuality. Notice that I used the word “fully.” While we do have conversations about gender, parental roles, and basic human relationships, they are not ready to process things like transgenderism, sexual orientation, or the various nuances of gender identity.
Mary Margaret Olohan from The Daily Wire, who purports the bill is being wildly misrepresented, writes, “The bill is a response to an influx of gender ideology and sexual orientation content in classrooms across the nation exposed by conservative news outlets and grassroots organizations like Parents Defending Education.”
Again, keep in mind that the Parental Rights Education bill is about children beginning at pre-K age! The Florida bill is in relation to children ages 3 through 3rd grade. It simply aims to protect children from government predations or from school LGBTQ+ activists. Here’s what the bill aims to do according to the Florida Judiciary Committee:
Parental Rights in Education; Requires district school boards to adopt procedures that comport with certain provisions of law for notifying student’s parent of specified information; requires such procedures to reinforce fundamental right of parents to make decisions regarding upbringing & control of their children; prohibits school district from adopting procedures or student support forms that prohibit school district personnel from notifying parent about specified information or that encourage student to withhold from parent such information; prohibits school district personnel from discouraging or prohibiting parental notification & involvement in critical decisions affecting student’s mental, emotional, or physical well-being; prohibits classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grade levels; requires school districts to notify parents of healthcare services; authorizes parent to bring action against school district to obtain declaratory judgment; provides for additional award of injunctive relief, damages, & reasonable attorney fees & court costs to certain parents.
The goal is simple, give power to parents to decide whether or not their children should be educated on issues of sexuality without legal recourse.
It is no secret that our culture has tried to redefine human sexuality. Here’s an article I wrote that highlights the way some have tried to normalize the gay agenda:
The Parental Rights Education bill is simply about that … parental rights. Here’s a few excerpts from the formal bill:
prohibiting school district personnel from discouraging or prohibiting parental notification and involvement in critical decisions affecting a student’s mental, emotional, or physical well-being; prohibiting a school district from encouraging classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels or in a specified manner; … The procedures must reinforce the fundamental right of parents to make decisions regarding the upbringing and control of their children by requiring school district personnel to encourage a student to discuss issues relating to his or her well-being with his or her parent or to seek permission to discuss or facilitate discussion of the issue with the parent.
But the media is not having it. NBC News ran an article quoting Chasten Buttigieg, legal husband to Pete Buttigieg, US’ Transportation Secretary, who stated, “In Florida, what kind of state are you building, where you’re essentially pushing kids back into the closet?” he said. “You’re saying, ‘We can’t talk about you. We can’t even talk about your families.'” Chasten believes kids are being pushed back into the closet. Really? What makes him think that a 3 year-old or even a 9 or 10 year-old is able to fully understand their sexual orientation?
On the flip side, Florida’s governor Ron Desantis rightly pointed out, “When you actually look at the bill and it says ‘no sexual instruction to kids pre-K through three,’ how many parents want their kids to have transgenderism or something injected into classroom instruction?” … “It’s basically saying for our younger students, do you really want them being taught about sex? And this is any sexual stuff. But I think clearly right now, we see a focus on transgenderism, telling kids they may be able to pick genders and all of that.”
DeSantis’ quote was reported by CBS News, which quoted the Trevor Project in the same article highlighting his remarks. The problem? CBS News failed to report that the conclusion by the Trevor Project that LGBTQ students who learned about LGBTQ issues or people at school had 23% lower odds of reporting a suicide attempt in the past year was conducted among teenagers! Not children 3 through 3rd grade! The Trevor Project report states, “Data were collected from an online survey conducted between October and December 2020 of 34,759 LGBTQ youth recruited via targeted ads on social media. These analyses included 19,175 youth who were currently enrolled in middle or high school at the time of survey completion.” An oversight on CBS News’ part?? Perhaps not!
Children’s brains take time to develop, and are not fully developed by age 10. Sara B. Johnson, Ph.D., M.P.H,a,* Robert W. Blum, M.D., Ph.D,b and Jay N. Giedd, M.Dc from the US National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health report,
Throughout childhood and into adolescence, the cortical areas of the brain continue to thicken as neural connections proliferate. In the frontal cortex, gray matter volumes peak at approximately 11 years of age in girls and 12 years of age in boys, reflecting dendritic overproduction Subsequently, rarely used connections are selectively pruned making the brain more efficient by allowing it to change structurally in response to the demands of the environment.
So, why the rush to impose the LGBTQ+ agenda upon our children? The reason, I believe, is ideological. The gay agenda is a worldview. It redefines human sexuality away from the biblical idea of gender being binary, male and female (Genesis 1:27). It inserts new categories of sexuality.
It is no secret by now that I am in favor of restrictions against government imposition in relation to this issue. The battle of parents and schools has been raging for a while in our country:
Christian Response
As Christ followers, we are called to love people, no matter their background or sexual orientation. But that does not mean we should condone their behavior. Homosexuality is clearly, in my view, not part of the original divine design for human sexuality.
I believe that the practice of homosexuality is not biblical. For instance, the apostle Paul once wrote, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Notice the emphasis on the verb “were,” which is an Imperfect Indicative 2nd person plural verb. It indicates past activity. It is important to highlight that the practice of homosexuality is not any different than idolatry, stealing, excessive drinking, etc. Like other sins, it cannot be condone. I know this is not a culturally popular view, but it stems from a biblical worldview.
Of course the debate is more than just about homosexuality. Even though the Bible does not specifically address all gender issues (i.e. transsexuality), it does provide norms for sexuality. Focus on the Family gives a good summary of a biblical worldview,
“We affirm God’s design for the two sexes – male and female – and believe that each is a glorious gift from God. Our sexuality is meant to be offered back to Him. For some, this means joining in a one-man, one-woman marriage – for procreation, union and mutual delight. For others, this means celibacy which allows for undivided devotion to Christ. Sexual expression is designed for the marital relationship, and homosexual lust and behavior are among the sexual sins that are outside God’s created intent and desire for us.”
Christians, as responsible citizens should not impose their religion and worldview on others. Just like Non-Christians should not impose their views onto others. The Florida bill is about opposition toward imposition. LGBTQ+ community has try to champion their cause, but it doesn’t mean society should buy it wholesale, just as Christianity shouldn’t. After all, people should be free to make their own choices since God has given us free will. Now, let’s just leave our children alone until they are fully able to make their own choices as responsible adults.
Written by Daniel Messina