The New Hampshire state senate has pushed forward a concerning “parental rights” bill which, like much of the legislation with the same title, is really a lightly veiled attempt to stomp out LGBTQ+ youth. In this case, House Bill 1431 establishes “fundamental” parental rights to “direct” the education of their children, arguing that parents must have access to information about the education, health, and “well-being” of their children, as covered by New Hampshire Public Radio. This explicitly offers parents the right to dictate the “moral” and “religious training” for their child, which puts a whole lot of pressure on schools to basically report every little thing conservatives could get upset about.
In reality, this legislation is trying to bar LGBTQ+ youth (or even allies) from being able to talk to school staff, like teachers and guidance counselors, about their identities. If young people are afraid of being outed to their parents or guardians, they could stop confiding in school staff, potentially leaving them even more isolated and vulnerable than they already are.
And because conservatives love to punish people, the bill also wants parents to be able to hang disciplinary action over the heads of school staff who suggest students withhold information from their parents.
RELATED: Republicans are trying to ban teachers from discussing their own sexual orientation, gender identity
The bill mandates that parents must be informed if their child registers in any classes, sports, clubs, or extracurriculars, which is obviously most concerning for youth who want to join something like a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA). It also mandates that schools must “promptly” inform parents of any investigation or action taken against a student including their conduct, dress code violations, bullying hazing, behavior management, sexual harassment, disability accommodation, special meal accommodations, suicide prevention, and gender expression or identity.
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Obviously, some of this makes complete sense: Parents are clearly going to be informed if their minor is hazing or harassing someone (or at least, they should be informed). But this list latently equates gender expression and identity with problem behavior, like bullying, when it is ultimately harmless. Someone’s self-expression causes grief for no one else, and outing youth to their parents can put them in serious danger.
There is also the bigger picture discussion about what gender expression even involves. This is where a “tomboy” for example, might suddenly raise eyebrows, or a straight, cisgender boy who wears nail polish might suddenly get an email sent home. There are all variations of gender presentation that don’t necessarily have anything to do with gender identity. It’s a spectrum, but it doesn’t mean parents won’t become irate or misunderstand after getting a call home.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the bill mandates that schools would have to tell parents if their student requested to be referred to by a different name or by different pronouns while in the school. This is the case even if the youth shares that they aren’t using that name or pronouns at home. The bill also requires the school to inform parents if their youth receives counseling or psychological services.
“No LGBTQ student should be deprived of the safety and affirmation a public school can provide,” Linds Jakows, who organizes for Trans Action NH, said in a statement to the Concord Monitor. “Everyone who supports LGBTQ students must contact Governor Sununu to veto this dangerous bill.”
At the end of the day, what is all of this Republican fussing about? Stomping out LGBTQ+ youth and frankly, even quieting their allies. It’s hateful, disturbing, and discriminatory. Trans youth are already vulnerable and report higher rates of leaving school without a diploma, becoming unhoused, and surviving violence than their cisgender peers.
LGBTQ+ youth in general report higher rates of mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. We know acceptance and affirmation can be literally life-saving for young people, and yet conservatives want to isolate and punish them until they’re locked in the closet.
Make no mistake: This is never just about sports, bathrooms, or learning new pronouns. It’s about hate.
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