Pennsylvania State Senators Scott Martin (R – Lancaster County) and Ryan Aument (R – Lancaster County) announced last week, during Pride month, their intention to introduce a pair of bills as their version of the controversial and harmful Florida “Don’t Say Gay” bill in the Pennsylvania Senate.
The bills, SB1277 and SB1278, would seek to ban books that discuss LGBTQ topics from Pennsylvania public schools labeling them as “sexually explicit” and prevent the discussion of LGBTQ identities in the classroom with a requirement for teachers and school administrators to notify parents and guardians when a student indicates that they are questioning their sexual or gender identities.
State Senator Lindsey Williams (D – Allegheny County) said in a statement on Facebook “The effect that similar legislation in other states has had is to tie the hands of educators when dealing with delicate discussions in the classroom. These conversations don’t necessarily come up in the course of classroom lessons, but rather when circumstances present teachable moments. We shouldn’t be legislating how trusted adults in our school buildings provide support to our students, particularly those most vulnerable students, when they need it most.”