Saturday Night Live/YouTubeFlorida’s House of Representatives recently passed the Parental Rights in Education bill, commonly known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, and it’s believed it will soon pass the state senate and be signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis.
The bill is seen as a huge step back for LGBTQ rights in the state because it prohibits “classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grade levels” in Florida’s primary schools.
The bill will stigmatize LGBTQ children and those who have LGBTQ parents in Florida’s schools. “So, it applies to K through 12 classrooms, and it grants the right for any parent who believes that a conversation is happening about our families to sue a school district. It’s an aggressive attack,” Equality Florida’s Senior Political Director Joe Saunders said according to CBS.
“If children are not feeling that they are accepted or who they are and the family they come from isn’t accepted, it will have an impact on them,” Todd Delmay told CBS News’ Manuel Bojorquez.
“Saturday Night Live” veteran Kate McKinnon, who happens to be gay, spoke out about the bill on last weekend’s “Weekend Update” segment. She opened the bit by jokingly misunderstanding the bill, believing it banned using the term “gay” as a pejorative, which was commonplace when McKinnon was in school.
“I heard about this law, and I think it’s amazing!” McKinnon said. “Because when I was in middle school in the ‘90s, I was kind of tortured by the constant use of the word ‘gay,’ like, ‘That’s so gay’ or ‘Ew, you’re gay,’ and it made me feel horrible. And to hear that (Florida Gov.) Ron DeSantis has taken a stand and said, ‘No, you cannot say gay in school anymore!’ I’m so jazzed. And in Florida, of all places!”
When learning that the bill forbids the word “gay” from being used in classroom settings, McKinnon suggested a different approach to the term. Why not sing it with pride?
“If you can’t say it, then you might as well sing it!” she said before singing the word “gay” repeatedly to the riff of “Smoke on the Water.”
McKinnon’s bit inspired keyboardist extraordinaire Money Mark Nishita to perform a cover of McKinnon’s version of “Smoke on the Water.”