K-12 public school teachers and counselors would be largely prohibited from talking about LGBTQ people under a Missouri proposal that critics call Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law.
Republican State Sen. Mike Moon’s bill, which received a Tuesday committee hearing in the GOP-led Missouri state senate, is one of several bills filed across the country this year that are similar to Florida’s new law.
Missouri’s proposal goes even further than Florida law, which limits sexual orientation, gender identity and other lessons deemed inappropriate in kindergarten through third grade.
Missouri’s bill would only allow licensed mental health care providers to talk to students in K-12 public schools about gender identity and LGBTQ issues, and only if parents give permission first.
“This bill follows the lead of Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, but does so with broader impact and implications than any other bill,” said Katy Erker-Lynch, executive director of the LGBTQ state advocacy group PROMO.
North Carolina senators on Tuesday approved legislation to ban instruction about sexuality and gender identity in K-4 public school classes. The proposal would require schools to alert parents before a change in name or pronouns is used for their child under most circumstances.
In Kansas, top Republican legislators are focusing on helping conservative parents get out of public schools about what their children are taught about gender and sexuality. The effort to push a version of the Florida law has become their go-to option.
Supporters of the Missouri proposal argued Tuesday that parents should be informed about conversations about gender and sexuality between teachers or counselors and students.
“It is protecting vulnerable children and trying to shield them from parental approval and potentially interactions at home,” sponsor Moon told a Senate Education Committee.
Democratic State Sen. Greg Reiser, who serves on the committee, called the measure “the most outrageous bill” he has seen since taking office in 2017. Razer said it would prevent teachers in his Kansas City legislative district from telling students that he is Missouri’s only openly gay state senator.
“What’s so offensive about me that it can’t be talked about in schools?” Razor asked Moon.
Erker-Lynch told committee members that the law “systematically and specifically erases LGBTQ identity and presence from classrooms.”
“The fact that the bill was honored by a Senate committee should be a wake-up call to anyone paying attention and to those who are not,” she said.
The likelihood of the Missouri measure going forward is unclear, but other transgender-related legislation is likely to pass.
Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden has said Senate Republicans are united against letting transgender girls play on girls’ sports teams, and lawmakers are considering a bill to ban gender-affirming treatment for minors.
Transgender medical treatment for children and adolescents is increasingly under attack in many states, labeled child abuse and is subject to criminal sanctions. It has been available in the United States for over a decade and is endorsed by major medical associations.