Raven-Symoné is taking aim at a piece of legislation in Florida that critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
The bill, signed into law this week by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, prohibits classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity for children in kindergarten through the third grade.
“I’m going to say this, and this is my thing: If there’s a ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, there should be a ‘Don’t Say Straight’ bill,” the actor, whose full name is Raven-Symoné Christina Pearman, said on the 3rd hour of TODAY Wednesday.
She and the cast of her Disney Channel sitcom, “Raven’s Home,” were among the Disney stars and staffers who staged a walkout recently in protest of the bill, after Disney CEO Bob Chapek initially did not take a definitive stand against the bill before it was passed into law. Chapek later issued an apology to employees.
On Monday, Disney issued a statement about the legislation.
“Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that,” the statement reads.
Raven-Symoné, 36, said the new law could be damaging to children with parents in the LGBTQ+ community.
“It’s not fair, and there are multiple kinds of humans in this world, and you are ruining the psyche, the confidence of so many young children because you are discrediting their parents, the people they love, the people that raised them, the people that teach them the manners when they walk into that schoolroom,” she said. “So if you’re not going to honor their family, your family shouldn’t be honored either.”
The former “That’s So Raven” star began coming out in 2013, and she tied the knot with her wife, Miranda, in 2020.
“I found my life partner, I found the person that makes me feel comfortable and in my skin, and she’s down for the cause,” Raven-Symoné said of her wife.
The couple is giving fans a peek into marriage with their YouTube channel, 8 PM, which includes videos of their goofy conversations and documents moments from their daily life together, from cooking to comparing their favorite skin care products.
Raven-Symoné said their channel gives people a rare insight into the marriage of a young couple within the LGBTQ+ community.
“(Miranda) kind of brought it to my attention there are not a lot of people in the industry that are in our age bracket, are part of the LGBTQ+ community, multiracial, talented and want to make positive change, want to have conversations, want to make sure that, you know, if you don’t agree, tell me why,” she said.
She added later, “I learn from her every day and hopefully she learns from me.”