Backlash Today: Florida's "Don't Say Gay" Bill and "Religious Freedom" Assault

Backlash, according to dictionary.com, is a "strong and adverse reaction by a large number of people, especially to a social or political development."

The radio personality on Progress Radio on Sirius XM, Michelangelo Signorile wrote about such a political backlash against LGBTQIA+ people after winning marriage equality and the demise of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in military service. He wrote a book, It's Not Over: Getting Beyond Tolerance, Defeating Homophobia, and Winning True Equality (Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt, 2015). As a frequent listener, he makes it clear often throughout his broadcast that there would be a tremendous backlash, a reaction, to the social and political development of LGBTQIA+ marriage and life after "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and we are living in that backlash now.

Today's example of backlash comes from both the Republican legislature of Florida, and the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS). 

In Florida, state Rep. Joe Harding initially proposed the "Don't Say Gay" bill in the state legislature. He even added an amendment, requiring that teachers out LGBTQIA+ students to their parents, as reported by Paige Skinner on Feb. 22, 2022 in yahoo.com news. Harding's bill would limit classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity to be banned for kindergarten through third grade, "or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards." Harding defends the bill as a way to "empower parents" and "keep young children from participating in discussions around sexual orientation." Of course, discussion around sexual orientation in elementary school happens in the playgrounds of life regardless of it being discussed in a classroom per se.

This is a monstrous bill, which will neither "empower parents" or "empower children," but hurt both parents and children as most of us who are LGBTQIA+ knew early on in our lives who we were attracted to in terms of gender and sex, and who we were not attracted to. Throwing up this impediment helps no one and hurts everyone.

Here's a link to the article: https://news.yahoo.com/florida-lawmaker-backed-off-proposal-212311010.html.

The equally monstrous and incremental way of reducing our rights as LGBTQIA+ citizens, with freedom to live our life in the economy of this nation, is by reducing our abilities to purchase things and services, like non-LGBTQIA+ people, is through "religious freedom" excuses. For example, there was a baker in Colorado, and another one in Gresham, OR, who did not want to bake wedding cakes for LGBTQIA+ people for our weddings. SCOTUS ruled that the wedding cake maker in CO didn't have to make our wedding cakes, but he had to accept our business. Now there is another CO resident, a web designer, who doesn't want to be forced to make websites for LGBTQIA+ weddings, even though no one has hired her services for such a website. She is being "pre-emptive," I guess. That SCOTUS took up this issue is because there is now a 6-3 conservative majority on the bench. In other words, this is all political. A hack job. SCOTUS is now a blatantly political player, and in this case, wants to take away rights and privileges rather than broadening them, thus "perfecting" this union for all citizens. And if people can use "religious freedom" on LGBTQIA+ issues, they can also use them on services for people based on race, gender, age, socioeconomic class, religion, or ability. 

Here's a link to this article: https://www.theguardian.com/law/2022/feb/22/supreme-court-will-hear-case-lgbtq-rights-religious-freedom

Backlash is happening in our time, in this country, against LGBTQIA+, and we better be prepared for the assault on our rights by the religious right in this nation. They're powerful, and relish having the power to take away the rights of others, and are not playing games. They want to take this country back to the 1950s.

And the Church?

Silence.

Time to organize! Time to stir up "good trouble," per the advice of the late-John Lewis.