Billboards Protesting Anti-LGBTQ Laws Unveiled in Several States
metroweekly.comprohibits instruction on LGBTQ-related content in primary grades. Critics have dubbed it the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, saying it will in practice be used by individual teachers and administrators as justification for suppressing all LGBTQ-related speech — regardless of the bill’s actual text.The unveiling of the billboards in certain state capitals is deliberate, as activists behind the project have targeted states where anti-LGBTQ legislation has either become law or is being debated by lawmakers.
For instance, in Iowa, Gov. Kim Reynolds recently signed into law a bill prohibiting transgender athletes from competing on sports teams consistent with their gender identity.
In Idaho, lawmakers attempted to criminalize anyone who assists a transgender youth in accessing gender-affirming care.In Tennessee, lawmakers not only passed a transgender sports ban last year, but are considering another measure that would classify books or other materials with sexual content as “obscene material” and empower school librarians to remove questionable material or books flagged as “obscene” from the shelves within 30 days.
Critics say that bill will be used to justify censoring, flagging, and removing any and all works with LGBTQ content, on the grounds that any LGBTQ reference or character, even if their sexuality in unrelated to the central plot, is overtly “sexual.”In Texas, lawmakers are considering a bill to bar transgender youth from accessing gender-affirming care.
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