Members and supporters of the LGBTQ community attend the “Say Gay Anyway” rally in Miami Beach, Florida on March 13, 2022 – The Florida State Senate on March 8 passed a controversial bill banning classes on sexual orientation and gender identity in elementary schools. a move that critics complain will harm the LGBTQ community. Opposition Democrats and LGBTQ rights activists lobbied against what they called the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which would affect children in kindergarten through third grade when they are eight or nine years old. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
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After Sun Sentinel senior reporter Scott Travis was called out for falsely referring to Florida’s parental rights education bill as the “Don’t Say Gay Bill” by conservatives on Twitter, he openly acknowledged it was a “good branding lesson” from Democrats .
Then the conservatives hit him even harder.
On Friday, the writer for the Florida-based outlet shared The Hill’s review of the state’s parental rights in education bill, which takes effect today. The bill — widely known as the Don’t Say Gay Bill by the left after coining the name — “prohibits school officials or third parties from providing classroom instruction about ‘sexual orientation’ or ‘gender identity’ in kindergarten through third grade.”
Travis shared the article and captioned it with a copy of its headline, tweeting, “Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Law Takes Effect Today. Its impact is already being felt.”
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Journalists described Florida’s parental rights bill in education as an attack on the gay community. (iStock)
Conservative Twitter users called out the disingenuous moniker for the legislation and criticized the reporter for using the phrase.
Conservative author and film critic Jacob Airy responded to Travis’ post, tweeting, “That’s not the name of the bill, ‘Scott.'”
The Spectator editor Stephen L. Miller corrected Travis, tweeting: “That’s not the name of the law.”
Miller’s tweet prompted Travis to bite back, and the journalist’s response admitted more than anyone expected him to about the cynical nature of the left, which called him “Don’t Say Gay Bill.”
He responded to Miller by writing, “That’s why it’s in quotes. But the name recognition of “don’t say gay” among the public is much higher than the actual name of the account. This is a good lesson in marketing/branding. “
Miller expressed surprise at how outspoken Travis is about the leftist agenda. He tweeted back: “‘We started calling it that and you know, look how many people recognize it’ is a pretty amazing accolade for a journalist,” mimicking what he claimed was Travis’ point.
US Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been defending the Parental Rights in Education Bill from media smears for months. (Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)
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Travis shot back a curt response, saying, “If you’re going to use quotes, quote accurately.”
In another comment on this admission, Miller wrote: “A lie is good, and journalists will use it if it is branded well. You know, it’s a good lesson.”
Travis responded again, this time tweeting: “Not just journalists. The name remained.”
Mocking the Sun Sentinel writer, Miller wrote, “It’s a lie, but we’ll keep using it.”
Another conservative went after Travis for his tweet. Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., spokeswoman Christina Pushaw posted a screenshot of the entire exchange between Miller and Travis for all her followers to see.
She captioned the image, tweeting, “Senior reporter at @SunSentinel” in an attempt to expose his bias.
In response to Travis’ request to “quote accurately,” Pushaw asked, “You mean you put ‘Don’t say gay’ in quotes even though it’s an inaccurate description of the law?”
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Members and supporters of the LGBTQ community attend the “Say Gay Anyway” rally in Miami Beach, Florida on March 13, 2022 – The Florida State Senate on March 8 passed a controversial bill banning classes on sexual orientation and gender identity in elementary schools. a move that critics complain will harm the LGBTQ community. Opposition Democrats and LGBTQ rights activists lobbied against what they called the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which would affect children in kindergarten through third grade when they are eight or nine years old. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
Gabriel Hayes is an associate editor at Fox News. Follow him on Twitter at @gabrieljhays.
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