Indiana advances bill to ban sexuality teaching, to let parents OK pronouns

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Members of Indiana’s LGBTQ community on Monday said a new bill on human sexuality in schools only serves to erase LGBTQ families.

After taking more than three hours of testimony, a House committee voted along party lines to approve House Bill 1608.

The measure originally would have prohibited schools from teaching about sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender roles in kindergarten through Grade 3.

The committee voted to replace that original language with a ban on instruction on “human sexuality” at that age and added a provision that stated teachers could still respond to a student’s questions on the subject. It then added language that requires schools to notify parents if a student wishes to be referred to by different pronouns and get written permission from the parents to do so, as well as providing legal protections to teachers who refuse.

Even in its amended form, LGBTQ stakeholders say the bill would harm them.

Kelsey Garganus-Wright says her son already has faced teasing and harassment from his classmates for having two mothers. She and other parents with same-sex partners say they fear the bill’s usage of the term “human sexuality” without a definition would prevent her son from sharing stories about his family, or from learning about other families like his.

Shelly Snider, executive director of Indy Pride, is also in a same-sex marriage and has a son. Snider says the bill could theoretically force LGBTQ teachers to hide photos of their same-sex partners they might keep on their desks.

The bill’s supporters say it strengthens their oversight over what their children learn in school.

Jennifer Wilson Reagan says she is always fearful of what her kindergartener will learn in school. She says it should be up to parents when and how their children learn about sexuality.

Jay Hart said he thought the bill should go further as it would not prohibit instruction on human sexuality for his 9-year-old. He says schools should instead focus on traditional academic functions such as reading, writing, and arithmetic.

The bill now heads to the House floor, where bills have until the end of the day Thursday to be amended and next Monday to be passed out of the chamber in order to continue in the session.

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