New Bill Introduced Called “Don’t Say Gay”

Recently a new bill has been proposed that “prohibits the discussion of sexual orientation in public school instruction, material or extracurricular activity except in the scientific instruction of human reproduction.” This would limit all teachers that may also discuss this topic in areas such as psychology, health, and even popular culture studies.

According to the bill sponsor, Steve Cookson, the idea behind the law was to focus on the main educational issues and not topics that should be discussed in the privacy of your own home.

Though sexual orientation isn’t a topic that is part of a curriculum, it is a topic that impact many students in school. Teachers wouldn’t be able to address bullying involves sexual orientation and they argue that the bill violates their first amendment rights. Ironically, the bill also would mean that students wouldn’t be allowed to discuss court cases such as this bill.

Many teachers agree that not being allowed to discuss these topics would not be fair to students because it is such a relevant topic in the teenage world. It would also create problems for school groups such as the Gay-Straight Alliance because they would be forced to disband the club. The points of these clubs are to make kids feel more welcomed no matter what sexual orientation they are and to create a safe place for all students. Kids that may be struggling with their sexual identity would no longer be able to talk to or get help from their teachers or counselors.

The bill was proposed in April and is still being debated over. Meanwhile, the same proposed bill in Tennessee is currently “set to die.”