Poll: Most Americans Against 'Don't Say Gay' Laws

A new poll shows that most Americans disapprove of GOP-led efforts in states across the country to squelch mention of LGBTQ+ people in classrooms, UK newspaper The Independent reported.

"A poll conducted by Ipsos in partnership with ABC News this week found that 62 [%] of Americans oppose such legislation, while 37 [%] support it," The Independent detailed.

Unsurprisingly, political affiliation was strongly tied to disapproval – or approval – for such measures, the article noted, with 61 % of Republicans saying they were in favor of laws restricting classroom acknowledgement of sexual and gender minorities, while only 20 % of Democrats similarly supported such laws.

Independents fell in-between, at 35 % saying they favored "Don't Say Gay" laws.

Florida legislators approved a "Don't Say Gay" law last week, and Gov. Ron DeSantis has indicated his support for the measure. But voters diverge: 57 % of Florida voters "oppose the state's so-called 'Don't Say Gay' bill 'either strongly or somewhat,'" The Independent detailed.

Despite the unpopularity of such laws, other states are following suit, The Independent noted, with Georgia legislators taking things a step further and targeting private schools. Georgia's version of "Don't Say Gay" stipulates that "no private or nonpublic school or program...shall promote, compel, or encourage classroom discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels or in a manner that is not appropriate for the age and developmental stage of the student."

NBC News reported that GOP lawmakers in Tennessee approved a bill this week that "would ban public schools from grades K-12 from using textbooks or instructional materials that 'promote, normalize, support, or address lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, or transgender (LGBT) lifestyles.'"

Meanwhile, Republicans in the Kansas state House of Representatives "introduced a bill last month that would change the state's obscenity law to make it a Class B misdemeanor to teach classroom materials about 'homosexuality,'" NBC News added.

The Independent reported that the push from GOP-led state legislatures comprise "a nationwide effort...targeting classrooms in their 2022 campaigns – from increased surveillance of classroom discussion to legislation condemning perceived 'critical race theory' curriculums – which opponents argue seeks to marginalize LGBT+ students and families and censor lessons on American history."

Added The Independent: "Opponents warn such measures are being used to strip away civil liberties and stigmatize LGBT+ Americans while drawing teachers and schools into frivolous culture-war-driven lawsuits."

A March 10 press release from the Human Rights Campaign recalled that "[m]ore than 290 anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced across 33 states in 2021, including more than 140 specifically anti-transgender bills," with "25 anti-LGBTQ+ bills [being] enacted in states across the country – 13 of which were anti-transgender laws across 8 states – making it the worst year on record for anti-LGBTQ+ legislation."

But 2022 is already poised to surpass 2021's record-shattering number of anti-LGBTQ+ measures, The Independent pointed out.

"This year, Republican state legislators have proposed more than 266 bills targeting LGBT+ Americans, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Of those proposals, at least 125 directly target transgender people."