Students in Texas are protesting the state’s latest “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, which bans discussion of LGBTQ+ identity in classrooms and student clubs, as well as preventing school employees from acknowledging student identities.
After being sponsored by Sen. Brandon Creighton, Gov. Greg Abbott signed the legislation on Friday. The package, dubbed “Bill of Parental Rights,” will cut back DEI discussions and initiatives in schools and classrooms, and will provide “opt-out” options for students in everything from health education to library access and bilingual education, according to LGBTQ Nation. The bill essentially curtails students’ access to a full education, under the guise of parental guidance.
The bill also bars discussions of race in school curriculums, policy, procedures and programs, and codifies that any personal information about students cannot be withheld from parents. Plus, Gender and Sexuality Alliance clubs that have historically supported queer students and allies will now be shut down.
The Houston Chronicle reports that though the law doesn’t require school districts to notify parents of a child’s request to change their pronouns, many school districts have already done so.
A state student organization, Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, and the ACLU announced they would take Texas to court over the new law – Senate Bill 12. Brian Klosterboer, senior staff attorney at ACLU Texas said to the Houston Chronicle: “S.B. 12 aims to punish kids for being who they are and ban teachers from supporting them. It sends the false message that Black, Brown, LGBTQIA+, and other students don’t belong in the classroom or in our state.” He also emphasized: “We’re taking legal action to challenge this discriminatory law and reaffirm that all students should have access to a safe, inclusive education that prepares them for their futures in our diverse state, no exceptions.”
Many have likened the bill to Florida’s infamous “Don’t Say Gay” law, which also prohibits any discussion of gender identity and sexuality in Florida classrooms. “State leaders have been in the business of manufacturing problems that don’t exist — such as stoking fear against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion — to ignore the solutions that students need and deserve,” said Cameron Samuels, executive director of SEAT. “Barring student organizations from supporting LGBTQIA+ young people, particularly trans and nonbinary students, is inflicting even more harm and making our schools unsafe and unjust.”
