Outlawing Gay – One State at a Time
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If they’re not slandering the LGBT community then they’re simply refusing to talk about it. Period. At least that’s what’s happening in Utah this week where a bill that was passed seeks to outlaw the discussion of anything gay-related in public schools, reports The Salt Lake Tribune.
If that isn’t bad enough, the bill also mandates that any sex education also advocate abstinence only. That’s right – there will be no discussion of safe sex, pregnancy prevention or really anything that might actually educate students in the state.
Teachers would also be prohibited from addressing anything gay-related in the classroom, even if a question is posed by a student.
It seems that Utah has taken a page from Tennessee, where anti-gay crusaders also proposed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill to outlaw any mention of homosexuality within an educational context. Both Republican-sponsored bills also push for abstinence before marriage between – you guessed it – a man and a woman.
But some Democrats are concerned that efforts such as these trample on free speech and put kids at risk of contracting STDs and becoming pregnant. “I believe knowledge is the most important aspect in anyone’s lives,” Sen. Gene Davis told The Daily Herald. “A child needs the right and correct answer.”
We’re concerned that if more states follow this precedent, even more LGBT teens could be left out of important discussion about their health and well being.
What do you think?
