By Dessalines Ferdinand
As Haitian-American voters are primarily registered Democrats, and usually blindly disapprove the actions of any Republican elected official, based on family and cultural values of the people from Haiti, it is safe to say that the recent support shown by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in favor of the ‘CS/HB 1557 – Parental Rights in Education’ bill should be applauded, at least by those who hold onto their family and cultural values as a nation.
The Florida Senate Education Committee last week passed the controversial bill that would bar school districts from encouraging classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity. The Parental Rights in Education bill, commonly referred to as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by its critics, would apply to such topics in primary grade levels, as well as in cases where the discussions are deemed “not age-appropriate.”
The verbiage reads as follows: Requires district school boards to adopt procedures that comport with provisions of law for notifying student’s parent of specified information; requires procedures to reinforce fundamental right of parents to make decisions regarding upbringing & control of their children; provides requirements for such procedures, school districts, & personnel; requires DOE to review & update specified materials.
State Rep. Joe Harding, a conservative Republican (he and wife Amanda are parents of four underage children) who introduced the bill (House Bill 1557) into the State House, says the intention of the bill is to keep parents “in the know and involved on what’s going on” with their child’s education. But critics say the bill is a dangerous, discriminatory attempt by Republican lawmakers to stir political support amid a broader climate of increasing politicization of LGBTQ rights and heightened scrutiny of what subjects children are taught in schools—and what they are not.
Harding says he thinks the bill’s critics are “absolutely misinformed on what exactly the bill does.” He argues that it aims to keep parents aware of instances in which sexual orientation and gender orientation are being discussed with their children.
Asked by reporters at a Miami event Monday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made a similar argument, telling reporters that it is “entirely inappropriate” for teachers to be having conversations with students about gender identity, citing instances of them telling children, “Don’t worry, don’t pick your gender yet,” and also “hiding” classroom lessons from parents.
“The larger issue with all of this is parents must have a seat at the table when it comes to what’s going on in the state’s primary schools,” the Republican governor said.
“They need to teach them science, history. We need more civics and understanding of the U.S. Constitution, what makes our country unique, all those basic stuff,” DeSantis added.
Effective July 1, 2022, the bill would extend to student support services, including counseling, and would require school district personnel to give parents all information related to a student’s “mental, emotional or physical health or well-being,” unless it’s believed that such disclosure would result in abuse. If the bills were to become law, they would give parents the right to sue school districts that violate their provisions.
Playing the nasty political game, it didn’t take long for the Biden administration to denounce this bill being advanced by Florida Republicans. The Democratic Party administration in power has come out strongly against the proposal on social media.
“I want every member of the LGBTQI+ community – especially the kids who will be impacted by this hateful bill – to know that you are loved and accepted just as you are,” President Joe Biden wrote in a tweet on Tuesday that added to criticism tweeted out by the White House’s account. “I have your back, and my Administration will continue to fight for the protections and safety you deserve.”
Conservative advocates have argued the bill advances “parental rights in education” by allowing parents to sue public schools they believe are discussing LGBTQ issues should the bill become law.
Critics, who call the measures Florida’s “don’t say gay” bills, argue the measures are an attempt to weaponize the idea of parental rights to marginalize LGBTQ people. The opponents insist that would create a more hostile environment for LGBTQ students in the Sunshine State. The bill would build upon a 2021 law dubbed the “Parents’ Bill of Rights” by its proponents, which bars government agencies from interfering with a parent’s right to “direct the upbringing, education, health care, and mental health” of their children.
The Florida Senate Education Committee passed the bill on Tuesday; it will be considered by two more Senate committees before the whole Republican-controlled chamber votes on it. In January the bill also passed a committee in the state House of Representatives, which Republicans also control.
Three states in particular—Arkansas, Montana and Tennessee—have passed bills allowing parents to have their children opt out of lessons that mention sexual orientation or gender identity, per GLSEN, a nonprofit focused on supporting LGBTQ students.
It is important to note that the bill orders that schools “may not encourage classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity” in primary schools “or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.” The bill does not offer definitions on what would be appropriate.
It’s Okay for Haitian Democrats to Support Governor DeSantis
Ron DeSantis is married to Casey DeSantis and they share three underage
children. Politics aside, it is understandable why the Republican governor supports the bill.
We believe that many Haitian parents share the view of the Republican governor on this matter. Haitian parents are known for teaching their kids conservative and spiritual values.
Yes, as Haitian parents, we need to be more open with our children regarding sex education. Some Haitian parents are still close-minded to discuss sex with their children. Some believe by discussing sex with them it is an open gate, but without knowing, once we can educate them on the pros and cons they need to know about sex, this will reduce the chance for our young generations to get pregnant.
We believe that it is not the school’s responsibility to teach a child anything with regard to sex, sexuality, gender identification, or sexual preference. This duty is the sole responsibility of the parents with the assistance of a licensed medical professional of the parent’s choosing. No institution or individual should ever have the right to override nor subvert a parent’s right to raise their child as they see fit.
Taking a balanced approach, regardless of your stance in relation to LGBTQ ideologies, as Haitian parents, do you want someone who is unknown to you to teach your child about their sexuality or gender identity? For the majority of us, the answer is most certainly NO.
Think about it. How can you be certain that the values or views of the teacher align with your views? Let’s say you are an opponent of the bill, and you want the teachers to teach sexuality and gender identity. Would you have a problem if the teacher taught your child contrary to what you believe? I can already read some of your thoughts, and you are thinking, “Well, we would just pass laws that would ban teachers from teaching anything contrary or harmful to a child’s sexuality or gender identity.”
Now this opens up more questions. How would you define “contrary or harmful”? Would the contrary or harmful view be based on the heterosexual child’s needs or the needs of the non-hetero child? What if the teachers’ views are contrary or harmful to the heterosexual child? Should that be taken into consideration, or do we ignore the feelings and rights of hetero students?
As you can see, this entire issue causes more problems, more division, more harm, and more hurt to our children and our society. If we are truly a democracy with inalienable rights, then we should allow the parent to be the person solely responsible for teaching their child about sexuality and gender identity, and not a government institution.
Yes, it is ultimately the parent’s right and responsibility to discuss these hot topics. We cannot use our institutions as a tool to force religious, sexual, moral, or political ideologies. Schools should focus solely on education.
When we know how Haitian parents take pride in raising their children properly based on their family beliefs, – Putting politics and party lines aside – we can surely say that Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is right – at least in the eyes of those who still carry family values – by voicing his support to the ‘Parental Rights in Education’ bill.
Since a parent doesn’t know for sure a teacher value regarding sex orientation, therefore (regardless of the parent’s stance in relation to LGBTQ ideologies) it should not be legal to let an unknown person teach a child an ideology that may cause the child more trauma, in both ways.
The bottom line is this: when it comes to this issue, Democrats have long advocated that the community (or, in this case, the government) should control every child’s life, including their education -all aspects of it. Yet, parents are the first and most powerful force to shape and mold their children’s lives. If we surrender this most basic and unalienable right, what happens then?
The Republican party certainly has its flaws and issues, but it was founded on the idea of freedom, founded with the sole purpose of freeing the slaves in America’s South. It still stands for freedom, at least with regard to parental choice and parental rights and for the Haitian community here in the U.S., it’s perfectly acceptable to stand in alignment with this bill led by this party. That doesn’t negate any other support we have for Democrats, and that’s the most basic and fundamental core value of the United States and its Constitution: liberty. The liberty to support the ideals and legislation that aligns with our core values as individuals and families best.
