Don’t Say Gay… Civil Religion and its Effect on the LGBTQ+ Citizens of Florida

 

In the picture above, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is signing into law the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill (aka the ‘Parental Rights in Education’ bill), a law that prohibits teachers in Florida from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity through the third grade, with the addition that if such discussions were to occur in subsequent grades that students would have to be “developmentally” appropriate. The picture depicts DeSantis with the bill in front of him, signing the bill with a blue Sharpie. There are eight Sharpies (in addition to the one he holds in his right hand) framing the paper containing the bill itself, perhaps in case he wants to write each letter of his name with a different marker. DeSantis seems formal as he signs the bill, wearing a suit and a focused face- his wedding ring proudly on display on his left hand. The Governor is surrounded by seven children, all wearing blue school uniforms courtesy of the Classical Preparatory School in Spring Hill Florida where DeSantis held a press conference and later made the bill into law. The children are all clustered around DeSantis with their eyes on his hand while he signs the law. Some have smiles on their faces, some look stern, some even look slightly confused. Two children hold signs with the Governor’s slogan: “Protect Children/Support Parents.” In the background of the photo are eight adults, all hovering above the children in the foreground and DeSantis himself. Each adult has a unique face of pride on their face, some smiling jubilantly while others hold a more reserved smug. The group stands in front of an American flag, a bookcase, and a cut off Ralph Waldo Emerson quote that (in full) reads “If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what book he reads.”

In Robert Bellah’s “Civil Religion in America”, Bellah argues that there is a distinct public religious dimension in the United States that he refers to as American civil religion, a concept that permeates the political sphere and expresses itself through beliefs, symbols and rituals (Bellah 4). Bellah is clear to differentiate American civil religion from other religions such as Christianity, arguing that this form of religion is “unitarian… much more related to order, law and right than to salvation and love” (Bellah 7). This God has a special interest in America itself, an interest that has explicit links to manifest destiny. In fact, American civil religion has been used as a justification for imperialism and to attack liberal ideas- a safe way for political leaders to justify their actions under the guise of owing their ultimate sovereignty to “God.” Civil religion in America, Bellah warns, is dangerous. And “never has the danger been greater than today” (Bellah 14).

I urge us to apply Bellah’s argument to the image described above. While not overtly religious, the symbols present in the photo of DeSantis signing into law a bill that puts LGBTQ youth in overt danger shows that this image demands to be read in the light of the American civil sphere. It is important to remember that everything in this photograph is staged, from the color of the Governor’s tie to the ring on his finger. DeSantis’ in this image is using the seven children around him as a symbol of their own, a symbol that speaks to the American people’s belief that it is their duty to protect the children- and that LGBTQ+ education is directly in opposition to that belief. The signs held only make this belief even clearer, literally spelling it out for the viewer that we need to protect children who are in active danger. DeSantis has his wedding ring on full display in this image, a reminder that he is a married man with children. A reminder that as Governor he must know what he is doing, he must mean it when he says that children are in danger as he is a married Catholic man. If we view this photo and DeSantis’ action in the lens of Bellah’s argument, we perhaps can see the very danger he warned us about. A politician is acting under their duty to this higher power that is specifically dedicated to the children in America, specifically concerned that these children are in danger of being harmed by a comprehensive education. Therefore, he is able to attack LGBTQ+ people with the protection and justification from “God.”

Image: Douglas, R. Clifford. 2022. ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis” From APnews.com. Retrieved March 27, 2024 (https://apnews.com/article/florida-dont-say-gay-law-signed-56aee61f075a12663f25990c7b31624d).


Journal: Bellah, Robert N. 1967. "Civil Religion in America." Daedalus 96(1) pp. 1-21