“Don’t Say Gay”: Implications for Outness and Desire to Move Among LGBTQ + Parents in Florida

Introduction: Curricular laws that ban schools from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity/expression, such as Florida’s Parental Rights in Education (“Don’t Say Gay”) law, reinforce structural stigma for LGBTQ + people, resulting in compromised well-being. Structural stigma likely affects LGBTQ + individuals’ identity disclosure/concealment processes, and desire to stay in or move out of states that enact these policies. Methods: This mixed-method study includes a sample of 107 LGBTQ + parents in Florida, who were recruited via Prolific in April–May 2023, immediately following the expansion of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law from K-3 to include all grades. Participants (Mage = 41.49; 82.2% White; 66.4% cisgender women) completed an online survey with closed- and open-ended questions. Logistic regression models examined predictors of self-reported decreases in outness and desire and probability of moving out of Florida. Thematic analyses of open-ended responses provided nuance to participants’ experiences. Results: Parents who reported higher levels of bias, identified as trans/nonbinary, and reported that signifiers of LGBTQ + inclusion were removed from school were more likely to report decreased outness, and those with higher socioeconomic status and those who reported removal of LGBTQ + books from school were less likely to report decreased outness. Worries about the law were associated with both desire and perceived likelihood of moving, and White parents were more likely to report a desire to move. Qualitative analysis further revealed the importance of understanding multiple marginalized positions in identity disclosure and desire to move. Conclusions and Policy Implications: Anti-LGBTQ + laws have implications for LGBTQ + parent-families, affecting their ability to live authentically and maintain residence in their communities.