Concerned LGBTQ+ Parents Consider Leaving Florida
A sizable proportion of Florida's LGBTQ+ parents, worried about the safety and mental well-being of their children in the face of the "Don't Say Gay" law, are thinking about leaving Florida, a new study reveals.
The New York Daily News reported on a study conducted by The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, which shows one area of impact from the controversial law, which criminalizes classroom recognition of LGBTQ+ people and issues relating to them in the classroom setting.
"Analyzing data from 113 LGBTQ parents in the state, researchers found that nearly nine out of ten of them said that they were concerned about the effects of the legislation on their families and children," the news report detailed.
"They expressed concerns that the law would restrict them from speaking freely about their families, and as a result, it would affect their children's sense of self and sense of safety and also create a hostile school climate."
More than half — six out of ten — disclosed in the survey that the law had prompted them to "consider moving to a different state — while 17% have already taken steps to do so."
The Williams Institute took to Twitter to publicize the results of the survey.
The study's author, Psychology Professor Abbie E. Goldberg, restated what earlier research has long established: "Legislation can have a negative impact on LGBTQ+ parent families by cultivating a climate of fear and insecurity," with the mental health impact being acute for children.
Though the "Don't Say Gay" law purportedly only extends through the third grade, critics point to the law's vague wording, which could be used to stifle such discussion in all grades while marginalizing and silencing LGBTQ+ students and those with same-sex parents or LGBTQ+ relatives. The law also incentivizes lawsuits against schools with the prospect of a $10,000 payout to parents who successfully sue.
Though the law is less than a year old, state lawmakers are already talking about expanding the law to expressly forbid classroom acknowledgment of LGBTQ+ people through sixth grade.
Even outside of the classroom setting, negative effects have been attributed to the measure. The Daily News noted that the passage of the "Don't Say Gay" law "sparked a dramatic increase in anti-LGBTQ vitriol on social media, as well as in-person protests against LGBTQ youth events in the state."