Florida's First Openly Gay State Senator Slams 'Don't Say Gay' Bill

Florida's first openly gay state senator Shevrin Jones knows firsthand the struggles LGBTQ youth face in the state absent someone to talk to about their sexual orientation or gender identity.

In response to the state's "Don't Say Gay," Jones is now using his personal story of coming out later in life to detail how such a legislation will have an impact on the lives of LGBTQ youth and their families, reported People.

"I never knew that living my truth would cause church members to leave my dad's church – or friends to stop talking to me or families to make jokes about who you are," said Jones, 38, who came out when he was 34.

Speaking about a book his dad recently wrote where he expressed his "disappointment" in learning that his son was gay, Jones grew emotionally shaken.

"So when I see these kids – I don't think y'all understand how much courage it takes to show up every day. Imagine living your life for 30 years and you coming to your parents and you talk about who you are. And you're lying to them about who you are," said Jones.

The bill requires schools to respond to any parental concerns within seven calendar days and resolve them within 30 days. If parents feel the issues have not been resolved, the bill stipulates that that parents would then be allowed to sue the school district or request the state commissioner of education "appoint a special magistrate" (paid for by the school district) to mediate a solution.

Speaking to the other state lawmakers, Jones said, "In my heart, I don't believe any of you in here, my colleagues – many of whom I've known for years – I believe that we all want to do right."

He added, "But it seems as if politics ... we have gone down a road where we're scared to just step out and make sure we're not hurting people."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has indicated his support for the bill and that he plans to sign the bill into law when it crosses his desk.

Disney CEO Bob Chapek recently released a statement regarding the company's position on the bill, which was promptly followed by outrage from the company's LGBTQ employees pointing out the company's political contributions are directly funding the anti-gay legislation.

The company has since announced that it will suspend its political donations.