Let’s get up and yell gay all day

When you are taking away the mention of being gay, just how far do you plan to go?

Eliminating the mention of any LGBTQ+ members that have paved the way through society will cause harm to LGBTQ+ youth in the United States. Not being able to see themselves represented will cause damage, I know it did for me. 

Growing up, I always hated history. The people seemed boring and not relatable. It wasn’t until I had to do my own research to learn about people who inspired me and made me want to be a better person, that I became interested in different types of history. 

First off, it was a shame I had to do research on my own. When I asked my history teacher about Marsha P. Johnson, I was met with judgment. He told me that she did not matter to the coursework at hand. 

But it does matter. Representation leads to normalization and is a validating experience for a group of people that has historically been made to feel like an outcast. 

Gov. Ron DeSantis passed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Florida on March 8, restricting LGBTQ+ curriculum in schools and forcing teachers to out students to their families if word gets around that a student is queer. 

Why is it okay for children to be force-fed straight figures throughout history and media? Are legislators saying through the non-inclusion of the curriculum that LGBTQ+ figures do not matter to our history? Are they too “weird” to include?

While these are all valid questions to have, it is evident to me the main reason why this legislation is being passed. They are afraid that gay people are going to take over the world. 

Ever since gay marriage was passed legally in 2015, there have been numerous attacks on the LGBTQ+ community for having too much representation, fearing that it would make all children gay. 

Growing up, I was subjected to American media’s favorite trope: heteronormity. Straight kisses in the media, straight sex-ed, straight everything, almost, and I still turned out the way I am. 

Through providing LGBTQ+ representation, people may learn more about themselves which may make more youth come out, but this should be encouraged, not discouraged. Seeing different ways people live their lives is reflective of a broader way of life, instead of fitting people into boxes they don’t belong in.

These bills are discouraging kids from living as their true, authentic selves. In states such as Florida and Texas, these lawmakers think by erasing and straight-tuning history, the world will go back to being “straight.”

That is not the case, because the community is here to stay, whether homophobes like it or not. 

LGBTQ+ historical figures and events are being banned from schools, but how far will teachers and legislators go in removing the language that bullies use against queer youth?

The language used against queer youth is harmful, especially having to grow up in an environment where we feel unwelcomed by our peers. It shuns queer people away from society, from a normal life experience. 

Will these teachers discourage this bullying even more? Or are the lawmakers only concerned about what happens inside the classroom, and not outside?

Being called the f-slur by my bullies was a defining moment of my adolescence. It got to a point where I just had to accept this word as a defining characteristic of myself, move on, and make them positive. Not everyone is like this, and it is sad that I have had to take harmful language and turn the meaning into something positive for myself. 

These laws are removing the mention of being gay everywhere, but will they go as far as to make children stop saying these harmful words? It is sad to assume that they won’t, and now queer kids will be forced to go through name-calling with no resources to help, as their teachers can’t even help.

These bills are harmful. During the most developmental times in a person’s life, this will cause further confusion and hurt by removing this education for all. Even if you are straight, there is something everyone can learn from LGBTQ+ history, as it is essential to the growth of the nation and the world. 

In a world where we are making so many steps forward, we are reminded of how easy it is to step back. Through these trying times, we must uplift queer youth and remind them of how much they are loved and seen. 

These children are the future, a future full of strength and resilience. Passing these laws only makes us stronger, as we will fight back until the day that we are finally seen, heard, and represented in the correct light.