Rep. Mac Butler (R-Rainbow City) introduced a bill in a House committee Wednesday that would extend the state's current “Don't Tell Me I'm Gay” law to 12th graders.
Current law prohibits teachers from leading or leading discussions about sexual orientation or gender identity until fifth grade.
Butler brought HB130 and received input from the anti-LGBTQ group Moms for Liberty to extend the ban to the entire high school.
“We just want schools to focus on reading, writing and math, but that's not the case. There's some indoctrination going on,” Butler said. “If you pay attention and watch the news…it's happening everywhere, and it's an element of Marxism, destroying families, teaching some of these things. Doing it in places other than schools. Please let me wake up.”
ALGOP Chairman John Wall appeared at the hearing and gave the bill his stamp of approval.
“I think this bill is a common sense bill,” Wahl said. “The fundamentals of public education is that it should be free from any political or social agenda…We know that exists on both sides. In our culture There are regions where there are books influenced by socialist policies and books influenced by conservative policies.
Resident Jordan Price said the bill is “part of a clear and proud mission to erase gay people from Alabama's history and current story,” but the bill unintentionally He also said that the limit was far exceeded.
“Queer people aren't the only ones with a gender identity or sexual orientation,” Price said. “If this bill passes, it would be illegal to teach that Michelle Obama is married to Barack Obama and that she is a former first lady. could not be mentioned because it would expose her sexual orientation, it would expose her as First Lady, it would expose her gender identity. .”
Rep. Barbara Drummond, D-Mobile, asked Butler how this would apply to students who receive public funds through the CHOOSE Act, which at this point was being prepared for passage in the Senate.
“That's a good point,” Butler replied.
The CHOOSE Act, which Gov. Kay Ivey plans to enact this week, does not interfere with private school curriculums, even though it provides students with $7,000 in funding per student, similar to public school students.
