As the state continues to grapple with national “culture war” issues, two public schools in Louisiana are heading to the Senate for final approval after passing the House on Monday.
House Bill 122 by Representative Dodie Horton, R-Haughton—which reviewers dub the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill—would ban teachers from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity during training or recreational activities, unless that conversation is part of a government-approved education.
The next act, House Bill 121 by Representative Raymond Crews, R-Bossier City, would subject professors at public and charter schools to discipline if they refuse to use a student’s preferred pronouns when they do not align with the student’s gender as assigned at birth.
Teachers may need parental consent if the bill were to require students to use a name besides their lawful name or nickname.
Both proposals were readily accepted by the House, with Democrats almost exclusively drawing criticism for Horton’s bill because it could be so broad that homosexual teachers who make obscene remarks about a spouse could be in danger.
HB 121 passed with a 69-29 voting, and HB 122 passed with a 69-28 voting.
Finally, LGBTQ+ advocates worry about how such policies affect LGBTQ+ youth, who now face a higher risk of death.
“I just wish (the bill authors) tried to understand (the transgender community) more,” said Peyton Rose Michelle, a transgender woman and the head of Louisiana Trans Advocates. The bills send a message to LGBTQ+ youth “that their state doesn’t care about them, doesn’t love them, and doesn’t support them,” she said.
Horton, a member of the House floor, claimed that her main concern was protecting children from inappropriate influence and intrusion because her bill may restrict sexuality in the health class. Crews claimed that his act is intended to stop educators from being forced to do something that is socially wrongful for them.
Additionally, Crews added that he hoped that his legislation would lower the risk of death for LGBTQ+ children. However, a 2020 study by a suicide prevention business focusing on LGBTQ+ children found that transgender and nonbinary youth who preferred pronouns were used by the majority of people in their lives attempted suicide at half the rate of those who did not.
“Why do we believe this demographic’s murder rate is highest? Because they are confused, and we need to help them, and help them does not mean claim to their version of reality,” he said of transgender children.
LGBTQ+ advocates expressed dismay at Crews’ comments.
“Rep. Crews claimed that there were many things that were false and that the data did not support their claims,” according to Dr. Logan Kinamore, a physician and part of the LGBTQ+ area. “They don’t worry about what the technology says.”
The proposals resemble laws that have been passed in other red states, such as Florida, which gained national attention when it became the first state to pass a ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law in 2022.
