LGBTQ students reflect on year under North Carolina’s 'Don’t Say Gay' laws
As North Carolina’s school year ends, LGBTQ students describe a hostile public school environment created by the state’s controversial law.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Last August, shortly before Milo started his high school junior year, North Carolina enacted a law that would restrict how gender identity and sexual orientation are taught and addressed in public schools.
For the transgender teen, who recently turned 17, that meant that in this past school year, his Latin teacher no longer asked students for their preferred names and pronouns.
“It would have been more dangerous to do that than to not,” said Milo, who asked that his last name not be published because of safety concerns.
Milo.Courtesy of MiloConservative lawmakers who pushed for the law — the first section of which is titled the “Parents Bill of Rights” — argued that it is necessary to bolster parental control over the education and mental health of their children. Critics have compared the measure to Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law, contending that it unfairly targets the LGBTQ community and, specifically, queer kids.
A provision in the North Carolina legislation, Senate Bill 49, goes further than the Florida law, requiring educators to notify parents when students ask to be referred to by different names or pronouns. Some opponents to the measure have argued that the provision forces educators to effectively “out” gay and trans children to their parents.
Rating: 5