15 States Have Backed a Suit Challenging Florida's "Don't Say Gay" Law
Sixteen attorneys general have filed a brief opposing Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, saying Republicans’ attacks on LGBTQ+ communities are unconstitutional and cause national harm.
On Wednesday, AGs from fifteen states and the District of Columbia filed an amicus brief in Equality Florida v Florida State Board of Education, asking the court to deny Florida’s motion to dismiss the suit. The sixteen signees—uniformly Democratic—represent California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and the District of Columbia.
By enacting its “Parental Rights in Education” law, the AGs write, Florida lawmakers have negatively impacted not just queer and trans youth and their families within the state, but across the U.S. They say the stigma now codified in law “threatens grave harm to the health and well-being of LGBTQ individuals, their families, and their communities.”
“When a law anywhere sends the message that some members of the community are disfavored, as the Act does, it compounds the stigma associated with being part of that community everywhere,” the brief argues, citing research including recent Trevor Project polling that found anti-LGBTQ+ legislation has a direct impact on the mental health of queer and trans youth.
https://www.them.us/story/15-states-challenge-floridas-dont-say-gay-law
= new reply since forum marked as read
