Classrooms are a simple place, writing notes, taking tests, and standing by as the identities of our students are stolen. The Florida House Bill 1069; such a simple name for such a harmful law.
To begin, a nickname is a small thing, but it can mean a lot to some students. This bill prevents teachers from using nicknames and pronouns when talking to students. A target has been placed on the backs of LGBTQ+ students and they don’t even know it. They are taking away their identities and forcing them to go by their dead name, or the name they no longer identify as. Senior Jordan Williams states, “Having intense gender dysphoria caused me to flinch whenever I was called by my dead name, because it wasn’t a name I felt comfortable with anymore.”
Additionally, parents are going to be required to sign a form named, “Parental Authorization for Deviation from Student’s Legal Name Form” if they want their student to be called a nickname. Governor DeSantis claims that it is meant to, “strengthen the rights of parents and safeguard their child’s educational record to ensure the use of the child’s legal name in school or a parent approved nickname.” (People.com) This is claiming that parents need to know more about what their children are doing at school and how they are being addressed. However, this is not solving the problem, as teachers will still not be able to call that child by their preferred pronouns even if they approve the name. What is the point of a parent approving if they are still going to be misgendered?
We have many LGBTQ+ students at our school who want to be called by a different name or pronouns. They feel like they are in the wrong body and want to escape and being called a different name helps them feel like they are entering a new body that they see fit. Taking away their choice does the opposite of protecting them.
As time goes on, I see many things happening to these students. The first is that maybe a student hasn’t come out to their parents yet. If the student wants to be called by their “true name”, they will be forced to tell their parents. They may believe their parents knowing is worse than living a fake life with a name they don’t claim. Now, their school and the state of Florida have outed them.
Some people may say, “Why can’t teachers just call them a nickname without anyone knowing?” The answer is that they can lose their teaching license. This bill is making teachers go against their beliefs so that they can keep their career even though they know what they are doing is wrong.
The state of Florida continues to make decisions that make students struggle. I will have to continue to stand by and watch them feel like they aren’t seen or heard. Williams states, “Not many kids are going to be able to advocate for themselves. I’m very vocal about my right to express myself, and I just know that my GSA kids are terrified of their parents. It’s really scary, especially when these kids are more prone to mental health issues like depression or anxiety because of their gender dysphoria.”
We can’t stand by while we watch more students get their identities and lives stripped away from them. We can’t sit in silence and watch our students become depressed because they don’t feel safe at their own school. What’s the point of receiving an education if you flinch every time your teacher calls your name?
