"The classroom is a place that seeks answers for our children without political activism. Parents deserve and should be provided a say in what is taught to their children in schools. The intent of this bill is to provide them with the tools to be able to see what their child is being taught."
– Jean Schmidt, Ohio Representative (introduced HB 616)
Who would argue with this statement? Politics should not be a part of public school teaching. Teachers must not exert undue influence in schools with their political activism. And, of course, parents should have a strong voice in what is taught as schools make their curriculum transparent.
But, I, an ex-teacher, would argue with Jean Schmidt. I oppose Ohio House Bill 616. It is not what it seems. It is legislation born of homophobic fear that does not respect the equality of LGBTQ+ people, and it seeks to erase their existence.
The intent of the bill is an effort to hijack the educational conversation in Ohio. I agree with Scott DiMauro, president of the Ohio Education Association, who says that the bill is essentially a copy and paste job of Florida’s ultra-divisive legislation, targeting some of Ohio’s most vulnerable students and families and setting Ohio up for a “Florida-like showdown with the businesses our state leaders have been working so hard to attract.”
“Why would Ohio want to follow in Florida’s footsteps after it forced a showdown with Disney, one of the state’s biggest employers?” DiMauro questioned. “HB 616 is exactly the kind of legislation that could send Intel and other major employers running, hurting our students’ future job prospects for decades to come.”
(“OEA denounces House Bill 616.” Ohio Education Association. April 5, 2022.)
Speaking From Experience
Teachers are fierce defenders of their students' safety plus their rights and their voices. When teachers observe prejudice, like bullying, alienation, and denial, they quickly defend their threatened students. The strong student/teacher relationships that form in the classroom and in extracurricular activities insure trust and cooperation. HB 616 is meant to breed intolerance to any and all LGBTQ+ speech and writing. It denies basic First Amendment rights to teachers and students – both the freedom of speech and the protected right of free expression.
People supporting this legislation are tired of gender minorities asserting their right to have their point-of-view expressed in school settings. Many of them believe gay people need to return to the closet and shut the door. Imagine the effect of HB 616 on children of gay parents. Such measures deny inclusion, and thus make families and children in gay families feel like outliers. No one deserves that treatment … no one at any age.
Some influential conservative “Christian” groups have long demonized gays. In 2011, Bryan Fischer at the American Family Association (AFA) said the “homosexual agenda” is “the greatest immediate threat to every freedom and right that is enshrined in the First Amendment.” They have even attacked the rainbow flag, a symbol of tolerance and LGBTQ+ rights, and insist it be taken down because it is supposedly “fascist” and “anti-Christian.”
And the truth is Republican lawmakers need the anti-gay vote, so they support legislation like Ohio HB 616 in an effort to appease their constituents. The GOP is often beholden to evangelical Christians, and this group can threaten to “primary” a candidate who does not stay close to their position.
Apparently acceptance is too much to ask for these Republicans. Their obsession to erase LGBTQ+ history, literature, and speech drives them to pass draconian measures to insure their belief that being gay is an abomination is intact. They struggle to teach that marriage can only be between a man and woman, teachers can influence children to become gay, and men who pose as trans-women sexually assault women in the bathroom.
Fear manifests as phobia, and phobia produces violence and hatred. And, so forth … hateful bigots try to deny children their basic rights of existence. Republican culture wars sell with voters (and the media) eager for conflict and titillation. By focusing on pedophilia, gender identity, gay people, and abortion, Republicans do not have to deal with important issues like the pandemic, the opioid epidemic, making the super wealthy pay their fair share, and corporate greed. It is much easier to take your frustrations out a minority scapegoat and damn political opponents with Bibles and wild accusations of being socialists.
To end, here are some “Quick Facts About Ohio” from “Ohio's Equality Profile.” When you think about the negative impact of HB 616, consider these statistics to see who in the Buckeye State will be affected …
Percent of Adults (18+) Who are LGBTQ
4.3% (Gallup/Williams 2019)
Total LGBTQ Population (13+)
462,000 (Williams 2020)
Percent of Workforce That is LGBTQ
5% (Census 2018; Williams 2020)
Total LGBTQ Workers
298,000 (Williams 2020)
Percent of LGBTQ Adults (25+) Raising Children
30% (Gallup/Williams 2019)
(“Ohio's Equality Profile.” https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/profile_state/OHMovement. Advancement Project. 2022.)
In a suburb northwest of Dallas at MacArthur High in Irving, Texas …
“It’s like they’re being shadow-banned,” Christine Latin, one of five faculty sponsors of the Gay-Straight Alliance at MacArthur, said of the student group. Latin, a dance instructor, said she plans to resign after this school year over the district’s handling of the issue.
“They’re not going to come out outright and say, ‘Don’t say gay,’ she said of the school administration, “but they’re going to make it as difficult as possible for you to be allowed to express yourself or even learn about how you feel, who you are and your identity.”
(Tyler Kingkade. “A Texas teacher faces losing her job after fighting for gay pride symbols in school.” NBC News. April 07, 2022.)
No comments:
Post a Comment