Ohio Governor Signs Sickening Anti-LGBTQ Bill into Law
Ohio law allows parents to opt out of lessons involving LGBTQ content, and forces teachers to out LGBTQ children to their parents.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has signed legislation allowing parents to opt their children out of certain lessons and limits — or even outright bans — discussion of LGBTQ-related topics in classrooms.
The Republican signed the bill into law on January 8, arguing that it strikes the right balance by allowing parents to have more of a say in what content their children are exposed to in schools.
“[Parents are] the first teachers, they’re the best teachers, and that’s very, very important,” DeWine told reporters at the Ohio Statehouse, arguing the bill keeps parents informed of what’s going on in schools.
The law is a response to a larger trend across the United States in which conservatives are immensely critical of public education. They claim teachers are pushing liberal ideologies and concepts in the hope of indoctrinating students into alternative lifestyles.
The law will allow parents to opt out of lessons touching on topics related to sex, sexuality, or gender identity, as well as health education curricula some parents may find objectionable.
The law imposes a total ban on “sexuality content” in grades three and below, with all other grades requiring parental approval before certain topics can be broached.
There are narrow exceptions for health classes to discuss issues like sexually-transmitted infections, or sexual abuse — which may be helpful for older students to learn about and protect themselves against.
There is also an exception allowing for “incidental references” to sexual concepts or LGBTQ-related topics in the course of classroom instruction, as long as they are not the primary focus and are relevant.
Critics have called it another iteration of “Don’t Say Gay”-style laws that have passed in states like Florida and Iowa.
The law requires school employees to notify parents of “any substantial change” in student services, including changes to a student’s name used in school or changes to their gender identity.
Critics say this provision will lead to the forced outing of LGBTQ students, particularly those who are transgender or gender-nonconforming.
The law also contains a provision that permits students to leave school during periods of religious instruction.
While Republicans have pushed for so-called “religious release time” at the behest of their conservative base, some parents have sparked controversy by pushing back against predominantly Christian instruction, allowing their children to receive instruction from the Satanic Temple.
The Satanic Temple is a non-theistic church recognized by the IRS whose mission is to promote pluralism among religious views, empathy, and the rejection of tyrannical authority.
Equality Ohio slammed the bill, saying it would create hostile environments for LGBTQ students in schools and shatter trust between students and teachers.
“It’s deeply disappointing that Gov. DeWine has signed HB 8 when it was opposed by educators and the LGBTQ+ community alike,” Equality Ohio Executive Director Dwayen Steward said in a statement. He argued that it “punishes teachers and staff for supporting LGBTQ+ students who are already targets of bullying and harassment.”
DeWine told reporters he did not believe the bill would harm LGBTQ students.
“I believe in parents’ rights, and that parents know best,” he said.
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