Dont say gay ohio
GOP lawmakers introduce version of 'Don't Say Gay' bill in Ohio
Ohio Republicans introduced a House bill on Monday prohibiting "divisive or inherently racist" curriculum and banning instruction that includes sexual orientation and gender identity. The proposal is now facing backlash from local LGBTQ advocates.
The bill combines language from Florida's controversial Parental Rights in Education law, dubbed by critics as the "Don't Say Gay" law, and legislation that seeks to limit education on race proposed by Republicans in some states.
The bill states that "curriculum or instructional materials on sexual orientation or gender identity" would be banned in classrooms starting from kindergarten through third grade.
In grades four through twelve, such instruction would be banned if presented in "any manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards," the bill reads.
It is unclear how age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate-ness is defined and applied.
Ohio House Passes Multiple Anti-LGBTQ+ Bills; Human Rights Campaign Condemns Passage & Urges Against Senate Passage
The Ohio House Primary and Secondary Education Committee left no time for public comment on HB 8 after the addition of amendments targeting LGBTQ+ Ohioans. These amendments added a definition of sex that reduces youth to their genitalia and reproductive capacity. Additionally, the bill explicitly requires that any child in the Ohio public school system who questions their gender identity be immediately outed to their parents, without exception.
Human Rights Campaign Vice President for Legal Sarah Warbelow released the following statement:
“By passing these discriminatory bills, Ohio house lawmakers have chosen to reject the medical consensus by restricting access to age-appropriate, best practice care for transgender youth. In addition, Ohio is following in Florida’s footsteps in ensuring that their education system actively harms and disenfranchises LGTBQ+ youth. HB 8 and HB 68 would deny LGBTQ+ kids the ability to see themselves reflected in the curri
My family isn't 'age inappropriate.' Ohio's 'Don't Say Gay' will hurt my kid, others | Opinion
Columbus residentDwayne Steward is executive director ofEquality Ohio.
I grew up in Ohio and — even when I have lived somewhere else — I’ve always considered it home.
The Buckeye State is where I met my husband, where we adopted our son and where we are building our family. This state is where I learned to be an activist, learned what it meant to be Black, to be queer, to be Black and queer and more.
The Midwest is adj from the rest of the country — it is easier to attach one-on-one with people — and so much of me is tied to Ohio and the people who live here.
Now, if House Bill 8 passes, this “Don’t Say Gay” bill will force harmful censorship into Ohio schools, and tell my son that his family, which has two fathers, is something to be ashamed of.
Need a break? Perform the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.There is nothing 'age inappropriate' about our family
HB 8 claims to prohibit schools from teaching or discussing “sexuality content" that is not “age appropriate,” b
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Equality Ohio released the following statement regarding HB 8, a harmful bill with language similar to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill that was voted out of the Ohio State Senate today. The bill goes even further than its counterpart in Florida by mandating students be reported to their parents if any school employee receives a request from a student to identify as a different gender than they were assigned at birth, even in cases where the student is at risk of being abused.
“Every young Ohio scholar deserves a school that welcomes them as they are, and every instructor deserves a school that supports them in creating a safe learning environment. Unfortunately, HB 8 does the opposite, which is why it is opposed by educators and the LGBTQ+ community alike,” said Equality Ohio Executive Director Dwayne Steward. “HB 8 shamefully suggests to LGBTQ+ students that there is something wrong with them that should be adj, and it punishes teachers and staff for supporting LGBTQ+ students who are already targets of bullying and harassment. With just days to go before the e