If Republicans love one thing, it’s fanning hysteria to the masses. As Daily Kos has covered recently, Republicans have more than happy to distract from their failure to lead amid the novel coronavirus pandemic by spewing hate against trans youth, threatening to burn library books, and of course, regurgitating blatantly incorrect information about election fraud. (Thanks, Trump.) Lately, there’s been a fresh angle in Republican discrimination and exclusion, and it has to do with talking about LGBTQ+ in the classroom—at all.
Daily Kos recently covered a concerning bill coming out of Florida, which aims to prohibit folks from talking about LGBTQ+ issues in elementary school classrooms in the state. Now, according to LGBTQ Nation, conservatives in Tennessee are popping up with a similar bill. Tennessee HB 800 would ban discussing any LGBTQ+ history or issues in public schools. This includes banning textbooks or related materials that “promote, normalize, support, or address” LGBTQ+ issues. Why? Because it would offend people with good old “Christian” values, of course.
Republican state Rep. Bruce Griffey introduced the bill, and not even for the first time; he pushed a similar measure back in 2021, but it didn’t move out of committee then. At this point, the bill is being evaluated in terms of how much it would cost the state to put into action.
“The State of Tennessee is not allowed to teach my daughters Christian values that I think are important and they should learn, so I teach those at home,” Griffey said when he first introduced the bill last year, according to local outlet Action News 5. He went on to say if religion is not part of the curriculum, he didn’t understand why “LGBTQ and other issues and social lifestyles” should be included.
Describing LGBTQ+ identity as being part of a “lifestyle” is an outdated, archaic phrasing that rests on the idea that being LGBTQ+ is a choice—which is dangerous, because it then lends itself to the idea that someone can just “change” and “become,” for example, cisgender or heterosexual. This is the reason many conservatives have the idea that they have the license to discriminate.
Per the bill’s text, Griffey argues that the “promotion” of LGBTQ+ issues and “lifestyles” in public schools would offend a “significant portion” of students, parents, and “Tennessee residents” with Christian values. Of course, there are multiple issues going on at once here.
First of all, LGBTQ+ people can also be Christian (or any religion). Second of all, one’s religious beliefs should not bar people from discussing issues, including factual information, like history. Third of all, the people who are “offended” at the realization that LGBTQ+ people have always been around (and will always be around) and have been changing history all the while are the exact people who need this information in front of their faces.
In the bigger picture, it’s important to remember that students do actually listen about religions and other cultures in school, and especially in the humanities; we can’t really learn about history, geography, literature, and even science and math without learning about people who aren’t like us, or who aren’t like the majority community we live in. Talking about a person’s identity is not political or tied to a certain political party or elected officials—it’s honest, accurate, and gives important context to what students are learning. It’s an opportunity to become better educated.
It’s also important to remember that there are always LGBTQ+ people in the room, whether it’s a teacher that feels pressured to stay in the closet, a young person who isn't ready to come “out” yet, or a young person who is being bullied or harassed simply for being themselves. These people all understand what’s really being said when their identities and histories are banned from discussion.
But of course, conservatives don’t want people to actually learn, grow, and build empathy—as is, again and again, confirmed when conservatives rally against critical race theory and try to require parental consent for students to check out library books.
Are you interested in participating in a Banned Book Club here at Daily Kos? Check out what we have in the works and please jump into the comments and let us know your thoughts!
