Missouri Follows Tennessee With "Don't Say Gay" Bill

I'm incredibly disappointed in my home state.

As in Tennessee recently, a group of Republican lawmakers in Missouri have introduced bill that would ban the teaching of "sexual orientation" in public schools. Don't let the wording confuse you. It's patently obvious what's going on here.

"A group of 20 Republican state representatives introduced the so-called "don't say gay" bill last week to prevent the teaching of sexual orientation in public schools, with the exception of classes relating to human reproduction. The group includes some of the most powerful Republicans in the Missouri legislature -- House Speaker Steve Tilley (R-Perryville), Majority Leader Tim Jones (R-Eureka) and the chairs of the Rules and Ways and Means committees. Tennessee legislators have been debating a similar proposal." (Huffington Post )

In a statement released  earlier this week, the bill's sponsor said, "my bill does not target a particular sexual orientation but instead says instruction or materials related to any sexual orientation should not take place in our public schools. This would not prohibit a student struggling with his or her sexual identity from talking to a school counselor or cause any of the other issues that have been misreported by the media. Instead it would simply ensure the focus of our public schools is on the curriculum parents expect their children to learn when they send them to school each day.”

The media's reporting has been pretty accurate, actually. Not only does the bill, which most people would agree violates the free speech amendment, prevent teachers talking about LGBT issues, according to The Vital Voice , it prevents gay-straight alliances, a source of support for gay students, from meeting in a campus setting. And according to the Riverfront Times  this morning, "the Missouri National Educators Association, the state's largest teachers organization, blasted the bill, stating: '[L]egislation like the "Don't Say Gay" bill, proposed by Representative Steve Cookson shackles educator's efforts to prevent bullying in our public schools.'"

To fight HB2051, PROMO, one of Missouri's most well-known advocates for LGBT rights have set up a petition you can sign here, and another website, It's Okay to Say Gay , was founded to share news updates and information on which Missouri legislators are supporting the bill. Also, local blog Towleroad has been doing a great job reporting this from the beginning.