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Rep. Mike Johnson (R) proposes nationwide version of Florida's infamous "Don't Say Gay" law [1]
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Date: 2022-10-18
Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson (R) introduces a Russia/Hungary/Florida-style “Don’t Say Gay” bill that applies nationwide that is deceitfully called the “Stop The Sexualization of Children Act”. The bill seeks to ban federal funding for events with children under 10 years old present that feature LGBTQ+-affirming materials or “sexually-oriented” material, such as Drag Queen Story Hours and advice on gender-affirming healthcare, under the false guise of “protecting innocent children.”
The bill has 33 GOP co-sponsors, including Reps. Mary Miller, Vicky Hartzler, Lauren Boebert, Glenn Grothman, and Daniel Webster. Surprisingly, supremely anti-trans extremist Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) isn’t one of the cosponsors of this bill as of publication.
This is part of the GOP’s bigoted strategy to suppress the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans, especially LGBTQ+ youths and children, trans, and gender-nonconforming peoples.
Brooke Migdon at The Hill:
More than 30 House Republicans have signed on to a bill to prohibit federal dollars from being used to make “sexually-oriented” materials available to children under the age of 10. The measure introduced Tuesday by Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) would prohibit the use of federal funds to develop and host programs or events for children younger than 10 that contain “sexually-oriented material,” such as drag queen story hours that have recently drawn the ire of conservative politicians and right-wing groups. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in July filed a federal complaint against a Miami restaurant after a video of a child attending a drag brunch there was circulated widely online. DeSantis in the lawsuit cited a 1947 state Supreme Court ruling that “men impersonating women” in a “suggestive and indecent” fashion constitutes a public nuisance. Johnson’s bill, titled the “Stop the Sexualization of Children Act,” claims that state and federal agencies including the Department of Defense have in the past used federal funds to promote and host “sexually-oriented events” like drag queen story hours or burlesque shows for children and families.
[…] Johnson’s bill defines “sexually-oriented material” as depictions, descriptions or simulations of sexual acts, human genitals or “any topic involving gender identity, gender dysphoria, transgenderism, sexual orientation, or related subjects.”
Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) on the bill being a dangerous combo of Florida HB1557 and Texas SB8.
x House Republicans introduced a bill that would ban any discussion or material in federally funded programs about LGBTQ people in any event with children under 10 years old. This is a federal "Don't Say Gay" bill.
https://t.co/rEVo0Zvi47 pic.twitter.com/wcsGfDxiW9 — Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) October 18, 2022
x Universities, public schools, hospitals, medical clinics, etc. could all be defunded if they host any event discussing LGBTQ people and children could be present. The way they define "sexually oriented material" simply includes anything about LGBTQ people. — Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) October 18, 2022
x It includes a private right of action against any government official AND private entity for a violation. This is SB8 style bounty lawsuits against anyone accepting federal funds. This will be a ban on all discussion of LGBTQ people in any entity that received federal funds. pic.twitter.com/ABndE60wxV — Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) October 18, 2022
x This is the American version of Russia's gay propaganda law passed in 2013. This is their end game. To censor and ban LGBTQ from all public life and force them back into the closet. — Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) October 18, 2022
x The pretext in this bill is clear. They will troll the media about the bill being about "stripping" or drag queen story hour. In reality, the way the law is defined, it could apply to a school that has a screening of Buzz Lightyear. — Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) October 18, 2022
x I can't overstate how radical the private right of action portion is. The bill is so broadly defined that a pediatric hospital could be sued for having a pride flag or a medical pamphlet about gender dysphoria. It deputizes anti-LGBTQ bigots to engage in bounty lawsuits. — Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) October 18, 2022
x As we've seen with SB8, the lawsuits are rarely actually filed. Simply the threat of litigation is enough to create a chilling effect. Any federally funded entity will remove all references to LGBTQ people as a precaution, just as schools in Florida have done. — Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) October 18, 2022
Erin Reed (@ErinInTheMorn) on the bill’s impacts on trans people:
x And here it is…
A new NATIONAL bill by Republicans would ban “any exposure to transgenderism to children under the age of 10.”
This would fire all trans teachers,
Trans workers in hospitals that serve children, counselors, social workers.
It defines being trans as “sexual”. pic.twitter.com/qBKqlacT8B — Erin Reed (@ErinInTheMorn) October 18, 2022
x This would bar gender affirming psychological care nationally to any trans youth under 10, in some readings it would make it illegal for schools to accept gender changes as that would be “exposing children to transgenderism”
This is horrifying. — Erin Reed (@ErinInTheMorn) October 18, 2022
This horrifying anti-LGBTQ+ garbage being proposed is one reason why Americans need to vote Blue up and down the ballot if you haven’t already done so. If the GOP gains control of either or both houses this year, or even worse, regain the Presidency in 2024 along with keeping both chambers, disastrous bills like this will be the norm.
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[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/10/18/2129842/-Rep-Mike-Johnson-R-proposes-nationwide-version-of-Florida-s-infamous-Don-t-Say-Gay-law
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