Earlier this week, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signaled his support for a controversial Florida bill that would ban certain discussions of sexual orientation or gender identity in the states public schools.

The Parental Rights in Education bill, dubbed the Dont Say Gay bill by its critics, would apply to such topics in primary grade levels as well as in cases where the discussions are deemed not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.

But the proposal doesnt go so far as to define what might be considered age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate. Opponents of the bill say its worrying that under the law, parents could sue schools if they thought the schools violated any provisions of the order.

In a tweet Tuesday, President Joe Biden called the proposal a hateful bill and said he would give his full support to young people who may be affected by it.

Supporters of the bill say it empowers parents, giving them a clearer say in their childrens education. Critics of the legislation worry that it would endanger LGBTQ children who already are often bullied, ostracized and isolated at home or in their communities. (Some school districts in Florida already have policies that say teachers must notify parents before using a students requested name or gender pronouns.)

Signing the Dont Say Gay bill into law would press the mute button on open discussion in classrooms the very place where it belongs, said Sam Ames, director of advocacy and government affairs at The Trevor Project, the largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ and questioning youth.

Even worse, by erasing sexual orientation and gender identity from classroom environments, it would erase LGBTQ students themselves, Ames told HuffPost.

A measure like the one moving through the Florida Legislature could have a devastating effect on the mental health of LGBTQ students in the state, he said.

Having at least one adult with whom to share your identity is the No. 1 protective factor against suicide for LGBTQ youth. Over the past year, 42% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered suicide and 94% said recent political actions negatively affected their mental health, according to a report from The Trevor Project.

For many LGBTQ youth, supportive teachers are often a vital haven

If passed, the bill would create an environment where teachers fear repercussions for a curriculum that includes historical moments for transgender rights or an important historical figure who happened to be LGBTQ.

For LGBTQ students, its a lot easier to gauge if a teacher is a safe person to come out to if theyre allowed to say gay, whether thats acknowledging someones pronouns, discussing gender identity issues or including books on the experiences of LGBTQ+ characters in their curriculum. So often, a teacher or school counselor is the first person (or at least the first adult) a child comes out to.

Madison Ellsworth, a middle school English teacher in Virginia, said she knows this firsthand. In her classroom, Ellsworth tries to teach her students to accept their peers and encourages open discussion to learn more about one another.

For instance, in book club with some of my seventh grade students last year, several of the books we read focused on LGBTQ romances or stories, Ellsworth said. Reading these together showed my students that I would accept them, regardless of their sexuality or gender identity.

Because of her inclusive curriculum, Ellsworth said her non-binary and non-conforming students feel comfortable opening up to her.