Rob Todaro
Before taking office as Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson introduced legislation that would essentially serve as a national” Do n’t Say Gay or Transgender” law. This legislation was modeled after the contentious Florida law that Governor Ron DeSantis signed.
According to the bill’s text, it may “prohibit the use of federal funds to develop, implement, help, or account any sexually-oriented system, function, and literature for children under the age of 10 and for other purposes.” Like the Florida law, the act is purposefully worded to have more striking effects, even though its focus on children under the age of 10 may sound reasonable. Any subject involving gender identity, gender dysphoria, transsexuals, sexual preference, or related subjects is included in the senator’s definition of” sexually-oriented material,” which is large enough to include any notice of LGBTQ+ identities. Additionally, the ban on this content may apply to all federally funded entities, including programs and events that take place in a service owned by the federal government or on national home.
In reality, this legislation would forbid any applications, events, or books that only mention gay or transgender individuals from being featured in federally funded group spaces, such as public schools, libraries, hospitals, state office buildings, and military bases. According to a new Data for Progress poll, the majority of citizens are against various plan ramifications of this policy.
