The ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill advances in Tennessee today following its approval in the state House subcommittee. The bill, if passed, would prohibit the discussion of LGBT issues within the confines of a public school classroom including any subject pertaining to LGBT sexual education.
The pending bill would give supporters parental control over how to educate their children about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender sexual orientations, including the right to limit class discussion to “natural human reproduction science” in public schools.
“The basic right as an American is my right to life, my right to liberty and my right to the pursuit of happiness,” Democratic state Rep. John DeBerry said, according to the Tennessean. “Within that includes being able to run my home, raise my children as I see fit and indoctrinate them as I see fit.”
Only one subcommittee member, Rep. Craig Fitzhugh, a Democrat, opposed the measure and explained that he declined to vote for its passage because “It looks to me like a solution looking for a problem,” he told the Tennessean.
The bill’s sponsor, Republican lawmaker Stacey Campfield, calls it the “Don’t Teach Gay” bill and conceived the measure in light of a belief that homosexuality is more dangerous than heterosexuality according to the Los Angeles Times.
The ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill awaits consideration by the state full House committee. It was previously passed by the Tennessee Senate last year.
