'Don't Say Gay' Bill Signed in Iowa; GOP Gov. OK's Ratting on Trans Students
Iowa has joined the ranks of several other red states by enacting a dont say gay measure as part of a regressive education law that removes certain books from public schools.
Republican governor Kim Reynolds signed the legislation Friday. The new law bans any lessons on sexual orientation or gender identity before the seventh grade, requires teachers to alert parents if students wish to use new pronouns, and prohibits any books in schools that depict sex or sex acts, The Des Moines Register reports.
Additionally, the new law reduces the amount of arts and language courses required to graduate high school. The new also codifies, in lawmakers words, a fundamental, constitutionally protected right for parents to make decisions about their childrens medical care, extracurricular activities, and moral and religious upbringing, according to the Register.
...GLSEN, an organization that works to protect LGBTQ+ youth, swiftly slammed Reynoldss disastrous new law.
Its disturbing to see more and more extreme Dont Say Gay or Trans' bills become law in states like Iowa, a state that was once a beacon for inclusion and the first state to legalize same-sex marriage in the Mid-West, said a statement from GLSEN Executive Director Melanie Willingham-Jaggers. This legislation was created to silence LGBTQ+ students and remove spaces for them to be their authentic selves. GLSENs recent School Climate Survey showed that students are experiencing increasingly hostile school environments as support declines. These Dont Say Gay or Trans bills have a catastrophic effect on queer youth and silence supportive educators who are often a lifeline for them.
https://www.advocate.com/dont-say-gay/don-t-say-gay-law-signed-in-iowa
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Interesting how these 'law makers' say this is to protect children in the same legislative secession where they are rolling back child labor laws. A joke should go "How do you say hypocrite in Iowa? Republican law maker".