Louisiana ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill advances out of committee

By SARA CLINE
Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana lawmakers have advanced a bill that would ban K-12 public school staff from teaching or discussing gender identity and sexual orientation, including in extracurricular activities. The legislation advanced in a House committee, 7-5 on Wednesday. It will move to the Republican-controlled House floor for debate. The bill is similar to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law. Republicans argue that parents should broach these subjects with children on their own. Democrats say that the law demonizes and isolates LGBTQ people by excluding them from classroom lessons. They also say it creates a chilling effect on teachers who fear being penalized for mentioning anything related to homosexuality.