In a break with his party, state Rep. Chip LaMarca, R-Lighthouse Point, plans to vote against the “Don’t Say Gay” bill when it comes up for final action Thursday in the Florida House of Representatives.
LaMarca, the only Republican state legislator whose district lies entirely within Broward County, currently represents the East Broward neighborhoods and cities with large numbers of LGBT residents: Victoria Park in Fort Lauderdale, Wilton Manors and Oakland Park.
The legislation, which would limit the way sexual orientation and gender identity are discussed in schools, is one of several hot-button cultural issues Republicans who control Florida government are advancing in this year’s state legislative session. The others would ban almost all abortions after 15 weeks and limit discussions of race in schools and employer training.
Based on a preliminary debate Tuesday, the vast majority of Republicans are solidly in support of the legislation, so the loss of LaMarca and any other Republicans who disagree won’t make any difference. Republicans have 78 votes in the House; Democrats have 41.
The measure (HB 1557) would prohibit school instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. In older grades, it would prohibit instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity “in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate” based on state academic standards.
The measure, labeled the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by critics, has been vociferously opposed by the LGBT community, its allies, and Democrats in the Florida Legislature.
They have warned it could make it difficult or impossible for students who are coming to terms with their sexual orientation to confide what they’re going through to a trusted teacher. LaMarca said he tried to convince the sponsor to make changes, but wasn’t successful.
LaMarca was careful in a telephone interview Wednesday not to impugn the motives of the proposal’s supporters, who make up a majority of the party. But he also said he couldn’t vote for the legislation.
“I couldn’t get there. You can’t make legislation perfect every time, but if you can’t make it acceptable and inclusive, it’s not something I want to vote for,” LaMarca said.
“While I don’t think the purpose of the bill is to single out LGBT students in school and put them in dangerous situations where they feel like they can’t talk to a teacher about a real-life situation … I’m not comfortable enough with that part of the bill, so I’m not going to vote for it,” he said.
Parents would be able to sue school districts for violations.
The measure also was tweaked Tuesday to allow for an alternative process to resolve such disputes, which would involve administrative hearings before special magistrates. The special magistrates would be appointed by the state education commissioner, and the State Board of Education would make final decisions on the magistrates’ recommendations.
LaMarca was elected to the state House in 2018 after two terms on the Broward County Commission, where he was the only Republican. Previously he served as a Lighthouse Point city commissioner and as chairman of the Broward Republican Party.
His East Broward district is one of the few bright spots for Republicans in the overwhelmingly Democratic county.
Because of legislative redistricting that takes effect with this year’s elections, the shape of the district will change, and he will no longer represent Wilton Manors and Oakland Park. Assuming he’s re-elected, he’ll take more of Fort Lauderdale than currently.
LaMarca has been a longtime supporter of LGBT rights — something that sometimes enraged conservative members of the Republican Party.
In 2014, when he was running for re-election to the County Commission, he marched in the annual LGBT pride parade in Wilton Manors, as he had previously, and was attacked by a faction of his own party.
Critics created a flier and email missive targeting LaMarca and then-School Board member Heather Brinkworth, also a Republican. They combined pictures of LaMarca and Brinkworth — along with a picture of four scantily clad young men — and put them on the attack.
The picture of the scantily clad men was taken in midafternoon — four hours before LaMarca and Brinkworth marched in the evening parade.
The headline on the flier: “Is this the Republican Party you signed up for?”
The flier was circulated at the next monthly meeting of the Broward Republican Party’s committeemen and committeewomen, the people who run the local party.
Danita Kilcullen, who at the time was a Republican committeewoman and co-founder of Tea Party Fort Lauderdale, sent out an email version. Her email began: “Whores chasing whores, if you will.”
During the last legislative session, LaMarca voted for a law that banned transgender athletes from competing on girls’ and women’s school sports teams. LGBT activists were furious, and the weekly newspaper South Florida Gay News published a picture of LaMarca on the cover — along with a large headline proclaiming him “Judas,” and smaller type stating “he betrayed us.”
Information from the News Service of Florida is included in this report.
Anthony Man can be reached at aman@sunsentinel.com or on Twitter @browardpolitics