A Georgia lawmaker’s proposal would prevent educators from talking to students about gender identity while also ensuring that parents are not left in the dark about a potential change to their child’s gender identity.
State Sen. Carden Summers, R, told the Senate Education and Youth Committee on Tuesday that he will need to rewrite Senate Bill 88, which is already on its second draft, following pushback from critics.
Still, Summers defended the primary focus of the legislation. He said a law is necessary to prevent teachers from promoting ideas about changing gender identity to their students and to stop teachers from hiding a student’s gender identity change from their parents.
“We’re simply trying to limit the exposure that person would have on a child regarding gender,” Summers said. “That’s where it’s at. They’re not supposed to … talk to that child about your gender without permission from the parent.”
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The bill currently states that school faculty and staff cannot seek or provide information about sex or a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity without written permission from parents. The measure also prohibits public and private schools from changing records of a child’s name, sex or gender without written permission from parents.
Some critics compared the legislation to parental rights bills in Florida and other GOP-led states that prevent teachers from discussing gender identity and sexual orientation with students, although the Georgia bill is limited only to gender identity.
“The role of our teachers is to provide a safe and inclusive learning environment for our kids, free from bullying and discrimination,” LGBTQ+ advocacy group Georgia Equality’s executive director Jeff Graham said at a news conference after Tuesday’s hearing. “Bills that force teachers to out LGBTQ+ kids to their parents are extremist political stunts, that pit…
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