In Alabama, a bill limits the talk about “gender identity and sexual orientation” in school. This is because the state legislature has already passed rules that limit this kind of talk in public schools.
According to the law, classes from kindergarten to fifth grade “shall not engage in classroom discussion or provide classroom instruction regarding sexual orientation or gender identity in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
The bill that comes after this one would cover all grades up to eighth, and it would make it illegal for schools to fly flags that show sexuality or gender identity.
For the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “gender identities” mean “how someone feels about being a man, a woman, transgender, or something else.” The phrase “sexual orientation” means “a person’s sexual and emotional attraction to another person and the behavior and/or social affiliation that may result from this attraction.”
Mack Butler, a state representative, said that the bill “aims to clean up the schools.” He said, “It is a component of Marxism where we’re — you know — destroying the family and teaching some of these things.” He said, “Let it happen somewhere else other than our schools.”
Some people are against the bill because they think it could make it harder to talk about sexuality, whether you are LGBTQ or not. Also, they said that violates the First Amendment rights of both the teacher and the student.
When talking about the bill, Alabama’s ACLU said, “If HB130 passes, it will rid classrooms and students in the state of Alabama of inclusive discussion that is essential at all stages of life.”
