UnidosUS sent a letter to Florida Senate President Simpson, Majority Leader Mayfield, and Minority Leader Book expressing our strong opposition to HB 1557 which would be harmful to Florida LGBTQ+ students.
More than 1 million Florida PK-12 students identify as Hispanic and research suggests that more than 20% of this generational cohort identifies as queer, transgender, or gender-expansive.
UnidosUS strongly opposes HB 1557, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, and any legislation that undermines the safety and well-being of the most marginalized of these students. LGBTQ+ youth are more than twice as likely as their non-LGBTQ+ peers to experience homelessness, and family rejection is the most frequent factor for their disproportionate housing instability. We urged Florida Senate leadership to not support HB 1557 as it heads to the Senate floor.
Originally published at https://www.unidosus.org on March 3, 2022.