On July 1, 2023, the Florida Senate passed House Bill 1069 (HB 1069), nicknamed the "Don’t Say Period" bill, effectively putting it into action in schools across Florida. This bill, though not commonly discussed, will ultimately change education as we know it. Put into effect by Governor Robert DeSantis, the "Don’t Say Period" bill will require lessons regarding sexual education to center around the ideology that sex is determined at birth and will restrict lessons around menstruation for students below the sixth grade. The passage of Florida House Bill 1069 will actively restrict primary sex education and contribute to the erasure of LGBTQIA+ visibility in Florida.

It is commonly known that Florida has been passing legislature infringing on LGBT rights quite often lately. In 2023 alone, 10 anti-LGBT+ bills have been proposed in Florida. Four of these laws have successfully passed with two more currently pending. Many of the proposed bills revolve around school and education and HB 1069 is no different. This legislation forces teachers to misgender students if their preferred pronouns do not correspond with their sex at birth, as stated in section 2, subparagraph 2 of the bill. 

But the proposal isn’t just targeting transgender students, it’s also targeting queer students. In section 3, subparagraph 3 of HB 1069, the bill additionally bans any lesson mentioning gender identity and sexuality for students in prekindergarten to the 8th grade, contributing to the seemingly constant erasure of the LGBT+ community. 

By prohibiting education regarding the LGBT+ community and the community’s ever-present issues, this bill paves the way for the usage of stereotypes and misunderstandings about queer culture. At the end of the day, we live in a world with LGBT+ people present in it, and instead of fighting their existence, we should be creating a safe space for queer youth in the education system.

Additionally, the bill lives up to its namesake by restricting fundamental health education about menstruation for students below the sixth grade. In the United States, 10% of women reach menarche by age 10, and 26% at 11. Banning this rudimentary form of health education strips away autonomy from children who menstruate. With this, power continues to be hoarded by legislators who, in most cases, are non-menstruators or cisgender men. 

In short, Florida House Bill 1069 comes forth as a significantly polarizing piece of legislation. Once it is fully enforced across schools in Florida, it will deprive children of knowledge about their bodies and continue to silence LGBT+ youth. Sex education is needed. With it, we see lower levels of homophobia, dating violence, sexual assault, and child sexual abuse. By restraining reproductive education, forcing heteronormative norms, and pushing teachers to misgender students, the Florida Senate is outwardly attempting to implement censorship in its education system. Teachers should be safe spaces for children, especially for those who don't have a form of guidance in their lives, and this bill forcefully strips that safe space out of their hands. As a current student in Alabama, I can do nothing but hope that FL HB 1069 doesn't serve as a gateway to the passage of other unjust bills in the South.