By Chloe Kiparsky
You may have recently heard of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, but there is much more to it than simply not saying the word “gay.” High school students who are in opposition to this law and bills like it are discussing ways to take action at the recently established LGBTQ+ education club: For Your Queer Information (FYQI).
Many of the students in Ouray school are barely familiar with LGBTQ+ issues, and FYQI is built around educating and raising awareness for the community, of, for example, different flags and their meanings, historical events, groups, and people. Right now, the focus of the club is this Florida law.
The nicknamed “Don’t Say Gay” law is a bill that has passed in Florida, and which Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law last month, which basically outlaws any conversation concerning gender identity and sexuality in schools. It also requires teachers to notify parents if their children are receiving any health services (mental or physical), so that parents can opt their children out of them. This ambiguously written law also states that parents have the right to sue schools if they don’t feel as if the school is following the new rules.
On Monday, March 21, FYQI had a meeting to go over a letter in opposition to these bills that senior Ina Dow - the club leader - had drafted. The letter covers many arguments against the bill, including mental health, oppression, and education.
To explain how harmful silencing of conversation about LGBTQ+ topics is, Ina wrote that “by deeming these discussions as ‘inappropriate,’ people’s identities are being labeled as such.” She went on to explain that “with the presence of discrimination and bigotry, or with the lack of equality in education, our schools are only safe for a small portion of students.”
During the next meeting, on April 11th, the group decided to send the letter to the Ouray County Pride Committee, other high schools nearby, and our state representatives, among others. Once awareness is circulating near Ouray, the club will try to send it to high schools out of state.
Nothing like this has been imposed on Ouray School or Colorado in general, and we hope to keep it that way. A large part of our school culture is acceptance and kindness, and it would be a really big change for our school community if a “Don’t Say Gay” bill was implemented in Colorado. Such topics “are addressed here and handled really well in classes and in the school as a community,” said Ina, “and there are so many LGBTQ+ students here. I think it would affect a lot of students negatively.”
Even as a small school, it is not impossible to make an impact in the world. FYQI is taking a stand for an important issue and is prepared to fight for justice and compassion.