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Louisiana Lawmakers Reject “Don’t Say Gay” Bill
signed a bill into law that prohibits discussion of LGBTQ-related content in primary grades, and in secondary grades if the topic is broached in a manner that is not “age appropriate or developmentally appropriate.” Critics, who have dubbed the new law the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, argue that the only way its provisions can be enforced is either by trampling on the speech rights of LGBTQ students, students with same-sex parents, and teachers, or by censoring entire lessons related to history, biology, or sex education.On Tuesday, Louisiana’s House Committee on Education rejected the Pelican State’s own version of the law by a 7-4 vote, with three Republicans joining all the committee’s Democrats in opposing the legislation.Chief among the objections to Horton’s bill were that banning gender identity — writ large — would not simply censor transgender-related issues, but might bar teachers from using gender-related titles like “Mr.,” “Ms.” or “Mrs.” — since even cisgender people have a gender identity of their own. While Horton said that was not the bill’s intention, the committee struck down an amendment that would have removed that provision before ultimately killing the bill, reports Forbes.But Horton insisted that the legislation remains necessary, arguing that it is inappropriate for teachers to share details about their personal lives with students.
