Ohio Governor Signs Sickening Anti-LGBTQ Bill into Law

metroweekly.com:

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.