Out Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg denounced Florida’s proposed Don’t Say Gay law as “dangerous” during an appearance on CNN.
Buttigieg was asked about Florida’s H.B. 1557, which was passed by both chambers of the state’s legislature and would ban teachers from discussing matters related to gender and sexuality in school, which LGBTQ equality advocates say could bar any discussion of LGBTQ people.
Related: Biden admin attacks Florida GOP for trying to ban teachers from talking about LGBTQ people
“In your view, is this dangerous legislation?” the host asked Buttigieg.
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“Absolutely. And the reason is that it tells youth who are different or whose families are different that there’s something wrong with them out of the gate and I do think that contributes to the shocking levels of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts among LGBTQ youth.”
“Chasten, my husband, pointed out that if our kids some day- some Monday morning come into class, you know, and kids are sitting around and the teacher’s got the morning circle talking about how everybody’s weekends went, and one of them says, ‘I had the best weekend with my dads,’ is the teacher supposed to say, ‘No, we don’t talk about that here’?” Buttigieg asked.
“Any age where it’s appropriate to talk about a kid’s mom and dad, then it should be appropriate to talk about a kid’s mom and mom or dad and dad or whatever family structure we live with. That’s part of what it means to be pro-family is to be pro-every family.”
Buttigieg referred to his husband Chasten Buttigieg’s words about the bill.
“You’re essentially pushing kids back into the closet,” Chasten Buttigieg said during an appearance on CNN earlier this month. “You’re saying we can’t even talk about your families.”
He also cited a Trevor Project study of suicidal ideation among LGBTQ high school students to show that the move would have a lasting and dangerous impact on queer youth. The law would prohibit discussions of different family structures and reading children’s books with a mention of LGBTQ parents or neighbors or relatives.
Supporters of the bill – which include the Log Cabin Republicans – claim that discussing the existence of LGBTQ people with children is pedophilia.
