You’re likely familiar with Russia’s shameful so-called “gay propaganda” law that bans the favorable presentation of LGBTQ topics to youth, but did you know seven US states enforce something similar on public campuses?
“No promo homo” laws ban schools from discussing all things LGBTQ — especially favorably — in Arizona, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and South Carolina. Utah also has a ban, though lawmakers moved to repeal it this week with nearly unanimous support. Now it’s up to Gov. Gary Herbert to sign the bill.
Related: Youth group uses disturbing transphobic message to advertise on Facebook
The restrictions are primarily focused on squashing any talk of sexual health and HIV/AIDS awareness, but vague wording allows schools to extend the ban to other areas, from school events to extracurricular activities.
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Some go even further. In Alabama, schools are instructed to inform students that “homosexuality is not a lifestyle acceptable to the general public.”
Arizona law says “no district shall include in its course of study instruction which…(1) promotes a homosexual life-style…(2) portrays homosexuality as a positive alternative life-style…(3) suggests that some methods of sex are safe methods of homosexual sex.”
Related: Teen’s antigay rant shows the bigotry LGBTQ youth face every day
According to GLSEN, an advocacy group that works to improve the lives of LGBTQ students:
These laws foster an unsafe school atmosphere. GLSEN’s 2009 National School Climate Survey shows that LGBT students in states with stigmatizing laws are more likely to hear homophobic remarks from school staff, are less likely to report incidents of harassment and assault to school staff, and are less likely to report having support from educators. Moreover, when incidents occur and educators do intervene, they do so less effectively in these states.
We don’t say this often, but it’s time to take a hint from Utah and get rid of these lingering blights on the books.
Sluggo2007
What’s the surprise? Look which 7 states they are.
captainburrito
Actually I am surprised because plenty of the usual culprits are not there!
DCguy
But remember the Anti-LGBT Log Cabin Trump Trolls will defend this bigotry by saying that nobody has any right to complain about these laws because in some other random country they treat llgbts worse.
natekerchel
Right Sluggo and DCguy – when I saw the States involved I was not surprised by any of them. The most racist, sexist, homophobic States in the USA. The link for most of them is again poverty and lack of education. The poorer the State the more ignorant the people the more homophobic and racist. Always been the heartland of the republican bigots. And what other countries do is not the issue – what happens in the USA is the issue here for any trump trolls about to spew this red herring out.
fur_hunter
And was I surprised when I saw the list? Believe it. What was a shock and surprise is that Tenn., Kentucky and Georgia were not on the list. Guess maybe because for Georgia, you have Atlanta, which is getting more progressive. I used to live there. Yep! And why are all those states on the list? Because that is where most of the ignorant, uneducated, intolerant, bigoted religious fundamentalists live. They are lazy @$$ people who believe anything, if it comes out of a church. None will get off their fat @$$es to do the research and educate themselves to know the truth. Sucking down a beer and getting drunk is much more important. Sad.