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“Don’t Say Gay or Trans”

STOP FLORIDA’S “DON’T SAY GAY OR TRANS” LEGISLATION

On March 31, 2022, NCLR, with our colleagues at Kaplan, Hecker & Fink LLP, filed a new lawsuit challenging Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” legislation, which Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law on March 28. 

Along with more than a dozen students, parents, and teachers, we represent Equality Florida, which has over 400,000 members, and Family Equality, the nation’s leading group for LGBTQ-parent families and their children.

Read the blog post by NCLR’s legal team and our joint press release.  

For media and press inquiries, contact NCLR’s Communications Director, Christopher Vasquez.

We will continue to provide updates to the case here.  In the meantime, please join us to fight for the young people and LGBTQ families of Florida.  Your contributions make lawsuits like this possible.  Thank you!

Links

Protecting LGBTQ Students and Families

March 30, 2022 Press Release

Press Coverage

LGBTQ group sues Florida over so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law – AP News

‘I Hope This Law Is Obliterated.’ Plaintiffs in the First Lawsuit Challenging ‘Don’t Say Gay’ in Florida Speak Out – TIME

First Federal Suit Against Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Law Filed – Advocate

First lawsuit filed over Florida law restricting certain LGBTQ topics in the classroom – CNN

LGBTQ advocates sue over Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill – POLITICO

First federal lawsuit filed against Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law – AXIOS

DeSantis Sued by Rights Group Over LGBTQ Curriculum Law – Bloomberg

Florida LGBT+ advocates sue Ron DeSantis over ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law – INDEPENDENT

Equality Florida files lawsuit against Gov. DeSantis to overturn ‘parental rights’ bill – Florida Politics

Education secretary says Biden administration will monitor new Florida law – WESH (video)

Trans youth are leading the fight against the Don’t Say Gay law once again with a landmark lawsuit – Daily Kos

LGBTQ Students Are Being Terrorized. Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Law Will Make It Worse – HuffPost

First lawsuit filed against ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law in Florida – Washington Blade

‘Don’t Say Gay’ law in Florida challenged in first lawsuit filing – Los Angeles Blade

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Legislation & Policy

California Assembly Bill 2085

California

Children of color are significantly more likely to be reported for allegations of abuse and neglect, despite the vast majority of those allegations being unfounded or unsubstantiated. LGBTQ parents of color are even more likely to lose custody of their children through the child welfare system. Even when families are not separated by the system, unnecessary investigation and surveillance of families by the system harms children by disrupting family dynamics and stability. Mandated reporters of possible child abuse and neglect are currently required to report families impacted by poverty. NCLR supports AB 2085, which would change the requirements for California mandated reporters of possible child neglect to reduce the number of families unnecessarily swept into the child welfare system simply based on poverty or bias.

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Cases & Advocacy

Ireland v. Hegseth

On March 17, 2025, GLAD Law and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), with Stapleton Segal Cochran LLC and Langer Grogan & Diver P.C.,  filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey seeking immediate court action to prevent two longstanding, high-ranking Air Force service members from being discharged from the military.

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What to Know About Title IX

In April 2023, after years of sustained advocacy, the Department of Education proposed a new rule affirming that Title IX secures the right of transgender, non-binary, and intersex students to play school sports free from discriminatory rules that seek to ban them. This is the first time that the Title IX rules would address trans students’ eligibility to participate on sex-separated athletic teams.

The following is the full text of the proposed rule: If a recipient adopts or applies sex-related criteria that would limit or deny a student’s eligibility to participate on a male or female team consistent with their gender identity, such criteria must, for each sport, level of competition, and grade or education level: (i) be substantially related to the achievement of an important educational objective, and (ii) minimize harms to students whose opportunity to participate on a male or female team consistent with their gender identity would be limited or denied.

We understand that this new rule may be confusing and difficult to decipher, so NCLR has worked with partner organizations to create FAQs to answer all of your questions about what this new Title IX rule does and does not do.

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