Just in: GA GOP lawmakers introduce "Don't Say Gay" legislation
The bill comes a day after Florida passed similar legislation
Republican State Senators on Wednesday introduced SB 613, or the “Common Humanity in Private Education Act.” The 8-page bill aims to limit discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in both public and private school classrooms.
The legislation was filed a day after lawmakers in Florida passed similar legislation, which critics have commonly referred to as “Don’t Say Gay.”
Supporters of these bills say that they are necessary to give parents more control of their children’s education. Republicans in Florida have said that these bills do not completely ban discussions of LGBTQ+ topics in schools, but rather curricula that contain that topic.
Opponents, however, claim that these bills are an attack on LGBTQ+ students and their families. They also claim that the languages in these bills are too vague, leaving students and teachers with no clear understanding of what is off limits.
Anthony Michael Kreis, a law professor at Georgia State University, called the bill unconstitutional and says that there is no reason for it except to harm vulnerable kids. “But on another level, we cannot effectively fight autocrats and totalitarianism abroad when we’re willing to copy and paste their laws here at home,” he said.
You can read the bill here.