Before “Don’t Say Gay” was “No Promo Homo”.
In 1991, lawmakers in Arizona passed a bill that would ban teaching about HIV and AIDS in schools that promoted a “gay lifestyle” or suggested that gay sex might be safe. passed.
Written laws were specifically limited to teaching HIV and AIDS. However, until its abolition in 2019, the system was widely and erroneously perceived to be broader.
“The way people have talked about it makes it stand alone,” said Madeleine Adelman, a professor at Arizona State University and founder of GLSEN Arizona, an organization that promotes LGBTQ inclusion in schools. I messed up,” he said.
“Indeed, this chilled the educational environment for decades to the point where teachers thought it was forbidden to talk about gays,” she added.
Teachers were confused when they misunderstood that they were forbidden to assign homework on LGBTQ activism, to bring gay families into schools, or even to come out themselves.
“We had to educate educators about what the law was and what it wasn’t,” Adelman said. “And we continue to do so even after its demise.”
Adelman reflected on the 1991 law while thinking about the current political moment.
Bills aimed at LGBTQ people, especially the trans community, have been introduced almost at the beginning of this year’s Congress, allowing politicians to intervene in everything from personal pronouns to who uses which toilets to public drag shows to books. and
Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs has vowed to veto all of this, and judging by her track record so far, the proposed legislation will likely stay in place.
But there are still ripple effects, Adelman said.
“This discussion not only circulates harmful content, but it also creates confusion and confusion,” she said. “Intentionally”
“Environment is getting cold”
Arizona’s “No Promo Homo” law was enacted in the late 1980s after a nationwide campaign by the Centers for Disease Control for more education about HIV and AIDS.
The bill provided for HIV and AIDS instruction in schools. However, in the process of becoming law, it was amended by conservatives to add a section on homosexuality. Many conservatives opposed any sex education and were appalled at the idea of sex education being passed.
The homosexuality statute has survived for 28 years despite growing opposition from Democratic Glendale Senator Martin Quezada, who has tried to repeal it for four years in a row.
In 2019, parts of the ordinance were finally repealed after new school superintendent Kathy Hoffman called for the law to be enforced, and Equality Arizona filed a lawsuit.
For Adelman, the current legislative backlash is yet another example of a long-running struggle over who belongs and who doesn’t.
“It’s like another season of a TV show,” she said sarcastically in her voice. “This season sees an attempt to ban non-gender-conforming representations in public by trying to curb, contain, or even eliminate drag shows.”
Sure, it’s a distraction, but it’s a serious violation of basic freedoms, she said.
“And it’s a direct attempt to exclude public space and existence, and transgender people more generally.”
GLSEN works with schools in a variety of ways, including professional development workshops, GSA (Gay Straight Alliance) clubs, young leader team formations and public outreach.
Has that task become more difficult to carry out since the bill surge began? “Yes, no,” Adelman said.
Growing awareness means high demand. But many schools are on the defensive.
There has been a lot of interest in GLSEN’s rainbow library pack, which contains books representing the LGBTQ community. Schools are willing to have them in the library, Adelman said, but there is “hit and run” in further, more visible activities.
“So it’s pretty clear what they need to do, what they should do, what they want to do, and what they do very often, but there is some hesitation in doing this job. there may be,” she said.
“In other words, the environment is cooling.”
increase in complaints About the book
Book bans are a hot topic in debates across the country. Her only book law has passed the Arizona legislature, but booksellers and librarians across the state are feeling the impact.
Kate Demeester Lane, library services manager for Pima County, said complaints have increased, mostly about LGBTQ-related content.
She said the aim is to provide a “balanced collection” where any member of the community can enter the library and find something of interest.
“One of the library industry’s old adages about collections is that if at least 10% of your collection doesn’t offend you, you’re wrong,” she says.
“So, Kate Demeester-Lane, for me personally, there are a lot of things in our collection that are offensive.”
When someone asks about a particular book, she may sometimes think, “Don’t read that.” But as a librarian, it’s her job to put her thoughts aside.
“Having a balanced collection is about professional, ethical and responsible to our community,” she said.
Complaints have increased from zero in 2022 to four as of 2023, but not all have gone up to her level of management, Demi Starlein noted. She believes this increase is also reflected in various local library branches, which have seen a “massive” increase in conversation about whether a particular book is appropriate.
“We’ve definitely seen more people complaining about LGBTQ materials that are suitable for children just in our branch’s children’s department,” she says.
She said the current backlash is reminiscent of the post-9/11 era, when the Patriot Act expanded the government’s right to monitor its citizens using records of various kinds, including library histories.
“When people change their behavior because they fear they’re being watched, there’s actually a term in the library industry for that: the ‘chilling effect,'” says Demeester Lane. said. “And it’s basically a place where people self-censor and don’t ask for information or materials that are in any way controversial.”
The people who write the books are also being criticized.
Phoenix author Bill Koenigsberg has been embroiled in an ugly controversy after one of his young adult novels, “The Music Of What Happens,” angered parents of elementary school students in California.
A mother complained that her 7-year-old son used a library app to access audiobook versions of novels. Written for older teens, the novel tells the story of two boys who fall in love while working at a food truck in Mesa.
Königsberg was severely abused after the app was suspended and her mother’s allegations gained media attention. He was labeled, among other things, “Trimmer”.
Koenigsberg said the words hurt him deeply because he was used and groomed by adults as an isolated teen trying to come to terms with himself as gay. rice field.
“Sometimes it’s censored, so people say, ‘Oh, you should wear that as a badge of honor.’ I know they mean it in a good way, but it’s not really It doesn’t work,’ he said. “You know, it hurts so much when people talk about me as a writer or a pedophile or a trimmer.”
“As a person who was well-trained as a teenager, and who probably didn’t feel like there were books to teach me or keep me company, I find this very offensive.”
The first of Koenigsberg’s seven books, all young adult novels featuring LGBTQ characters, was published in 2008. He said the current backlash is the worst he has ever experienced, and that the idea that writers are trying to harm children through fiction is far from reality. truth.
“These books save lives,” he said. “I know it because I’ve gotten emails from kids saying, ‘Thank you, this book saved my life.'”
“And books don’t make kids gay. It just doesn’t work.”
“The Loud, Loud Minority”
When Gabe Hagen and Jesse Shank opened Brick Road Coffee in Tempe a year and a half ago, they wanted the place to be more than just a place to have a drink.
They set out to create spaces where people could gather and socialize, hosting meetup groups, gaming events, and book clubs, many of which were aimed at members of the LGBTQ community.
In February, it was supposed to host a drug storytelling event hosted by Drug Story Our Arizona.
However, the face-to-face event was abruptly canceled due to a bomb threat at the store. The storytelling event was held online.
Hagen and Shank declined to answer questions about the February incident, citing the ongoing investigation and the safety of staff and customers.
But generally they feel optimistic. Hagen said he was convinced that those trying to crush them were “a vocal minority”.
“Certainly they may be in power in Congress now,” he said. “But the community is so much more filled with love, joy and acceptance.”
They don’t want what’s going on to surface. They know there is fear in the community.
But Shank said they both felt hopeful after seeing people connect through books and music at the Brick Road event, and students using the space to plan their next protest. rice field.
“The answer to that kind of hate is having a community,” he says.
In March, another drug storytelling event scheduled for Tucson’s Bookman’s Entertainment Exchange was also canceled following planned protests.
The Drug Story Hour was a regular occurrence at Changing Hands, an independent bookstore with stores in Tempe and Phoenix. However, no such incident has occurred recently.
Co-owner and CEO Cindy Dutch said it was partly a schedule adjustment. But the political climate cannot be ignored.
“Our community wants them and our staff wants them too,” she said. “We want to bring them back and we want to do so in a way that our community and staff feel safe. So we’re talking about what that’s like. By the way.”
“When deploying such an event, or an event like it, what precautions and what conditions must be put in place to ensure that communities and staff feel safe in a state like ours? do you have?”
Dutch said anti-LGBTQ backlash is being felt at Changing Hands, both by staff and by the community that frequents the store.
“They feel surrounded by people who don’t even know them and are discriminating against them,” she said.
She said the store is mindful of stocking books from countless authors, cultures and perspectives.
“We want our books to reflect our community,” she said.
Complaints about the books it carries and those it doesn’t carry have come in, mostly through online reviews, and sometimes harassing phone calls from out of state.
Occasionally, people walk in through the front door, but usually no one complains about the banned books, Dutch said. “It’s going to be about our progressive values,” she said, and the bookstore has been vocal about it on social media.
One thing is certain, though.
“Every time the book is put on the banned book list, every time parent groups and community groups insist that the book should be banned, sales of the book increase.”
Lane Sainty is a storytelling reporter for The Republic. Send her your story ideas. LANE.sainty@arizonarepublic.com
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