Iowa Republicans Introduce Their Own “Don’t Say Gay” Bill
This nonsense will soon be in every red state, and unless the state legislatures magically grow brains (or become controlled by Democrats), the permanent discrimination will be impacting LGBT youth forever. More background on the legislation at the link, but a summary via Iowa Gazette:
Iowa House Republicans introduced a bill Wednesday similar to Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay Bill.”
The measure, House File 8, says public school teachers may not instruct on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. It also requires school boards provide age-appropriate and research-based instruction in human growth and development.
Supporters of the legislation say it’s meant to allow parents to determine when and in what way to introduce LGBTQ topics to young children.
A separate bill, House File 9, also introduced Wednesday, would prohibit schools from affirming or recognizing a student’s preferred gender identity in school without written consent from their parents. Republicans said the bill keeps parents informed and ensures that school employees can’t hide information about a student’s requested gender transition or identity from the child’s parents.
The bill also states school employees cannot facilitate, encourage or coerce students into withholding information from their parents.
And it bars school officials from encouraging students to undergo gender-affirming care, or to pressure or coerce their parent or guardian to allow a child “to undergo any medical procedure, treatment or intervention that is designed to affirm the student’s gender identity if that gender identity is different than the sex listed on a student’s official birth certificate.”
“We need to empower parents,” Republican House Speaker Pat Grassley, who co-sponsored the bills, told The Gazette.
[Gazette]
