Amid Pride Month, North Carolina Republicans target LGBTQ+ students with discriminatory bill
Increasing funding for classroom supplies, updated computers and textbooks, resources for educators, support staff and school administrators. These longstanding unmet needs among many others should be at the forefront of education priorities for state Republicans in the NC General Assembly.
Yet, state Republican leaders have taken a page from their GOP counterparts in neighboring states in targeting LGBTQ+ students through their very own version of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
House Bill 755 is a discriminatory bill aimed at erasing LGBTQ+ voices from school curriculum, putting a target on our already under-resourced educators, and requiring mandatory reporting to parents if a student, regardless of grade, begins to question their sexual identity in school.
- Parents and advocates have raised alarms about the harm of these measures, as the bill is a blatant attack on LGBTQ+ students and families, and could force students into coming out – potentially putting many students’ lives at risk.
- Across the United States, Republicans in at least a dozen states, including North Carolina, have proposed bills that mirror Florida’s controversial law that has drawn nationwide criticism from parents, students, and advocates.
- “This bill isn’t just bad for students –it’s a blow to our entire state. We know from the fallout of the dangerous bathroom ban, HB2, that our economy suffers when extremists pass legislation that excludes people from participating in our economy, tarnishes our state reputation, and prevents businesses from attracting or retaining talent in our state,” stated Kendra R. Johnson, Equality NC Executive Director in a statement. “This bill jeopardizes our children and our economy, while doing nothing to solve the real problems that families across the state face every day”.
North Carolina’s HB 755 is one of many discriminatory measures state Republicans have attempted to push in an effort to ban books and lessons surrounding history, race or LGBTQ+ experiences.
While state Republicans use divisive bills such as HB 755 for political gain, state Democrats and Gov. Roy Cooper have made it clear that they stand with the majority of Americans who reject the idea of censoring classrooms – signaling that the Republican discriminatory bill will get vetoed.
Bottom Line:
State Republicans’ focus on targeting LGBTQ+ students and families just days after the horrific mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, sends a clear message; they would rather peddle extremist-led culture wars and target the most vulnerable students in our classrooms, then work with Democrats to pass measures to protect our children.
