Four state legislatures have passed anti-LGBTQ legislation in the past week.
According to LGBTQ Nation, the state legislatures of both Arizona and Tennessee passed laws that ban teachers from mentioning LGBTQ people without parental approval.
Tennessee’s HB 529 requires schools to notify parents if sexual orientation or gender identity will be mentioned in class 30 days prior, and parents have the ability to opt their children out. The bill was passed by the state senate on Wednesday (April 14) by a vote of 64-23. The bill has yet to be signed by Republican Gov. Bill Lee.
Arizona’s bill is much stricter; SB 1456 requires parental permission to opt students into any lesson or discussion on gender identity, sexual orientation, or HIV/AIDS. The bill passed the Republican -controlled House along party lines and has passed the state senate. Republican Gov. Doug Ducey has yet to sign it into law.
The legislatures of Alabama and North Dakota passed laws banning transgender girls from participating in school sports.
North Dakota’s senate passed a ban on students from playing on K-12 sports teams that don’t match their assigned sex at birth. The bill passed the state senate on Thursday (April 15) by a vote of 27-20 after passing the state house on Wednesday with a 69-25 vote. A similar bill was passed in Alabama on Thursday by 25-5 in the house and 76-13 in the senate. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has not yet said whether she would sign the bill into law.
Just days before the two bills were passed, the NCAA Board of Governors released a statement of support of transgender participation in collegiate sports.
“The NCAA Board of Governors firmly and unequivocally supports the opportunity for transgender student-athletes to compete in college sports,” the statement reads. “This commitment is grounded in our values of inclusion and fair competition… Inclusion and fairness can coexist for all student-athletes, including transgender athletes, at all levels of sport.”
The NCAA further insinuated that championships may not be held in states with anti-trans legsilation: “When determining where championships are held, NCAA policy directs that only locations where hosts can commit to providing an environment that is safe, healthy and free of discrimination should be selected.”