The state of Missouri is taking things a step further than Florida's controversial "Don't Say Gay" law.
A Senate bill proposed in the Missouri legislature would forbid conversations about sexual identity and LGBTQ issues in K–12 public schools unless the teacher or staff member is a licensed mental health professional and has parental permission.
By contrast, Florida's law forbids lessons in kindergarten through third grade on sexual orientation, gender identity, and other topics judged inappropriate for children their age.
Senate Bill 134, known as the "Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act," was introduced by Republican state Senator Mike Moon and is currently in front of the Senate Education and Workforce Committee. Many members of the LGBTQ community and their allies have testified against the proposal. Robert Fischer, director of communications for PROMO, a statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization, thinks the bill is too restrictive.
"It goes further than just banning from curriculum, but banning conversations about sexual orientation or gender identity completely," Fischer said on KMOX's Total Information AM.
One person who testified against the bill was a school counselor in Kansas City whose job it is to work side by side with parents to help them build trust with their child.
"A child has to trust a trusted adult to have these conversations first, say 'This is how I'm feeling, how do I approach my parents and tell them that?'" Fischer said. "Because there's a lot of fear and isolation that a LGBTQ+ student feels when they're trying to discover themselves and their identities and how to accept themselves. Bringing it to someone that they love is very terrifying sometimes."
Legislators also heard from supporters, like Dr. Mary Byrne. She's concerned about an "insidious and deceptive" strategy regarding public schools that removes parents as stakeholders in school policy.
"The district identifies programs that promote equitable learning opportunities and success for all students, regardless of socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnicity, gender, disability, or other individual characteristics," Byrne said. "And what Senator Moon's bill did was specifically reinstate parents and their voice and having a say over the topic of gender and the discussion of gender with their child."
For Byrne, the main issue is the family unit having a say in what their child learns.
"We do not bend to the state, we have a set of morals and values and behavior that we teach our children and we don't like being marginalized by the very entity that we trust to educate our children and pay our taxes to do so," she said.
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