Alabama law flat-out requires that schools teach kids homophobia:
(c) Course materials and instruction that relate to sexual education or sexually transmitted diseases should include all of the following elements: […]
(8) An emphasis, in a factual manner and from a public health perspective, that homosexuality is not a lifestyle acceptable to the general public and that homosexual conduct is a criminal offense under the laws of the state.
Apart from demeaning LGBT students and encouraging bullying, this is actually a wrong statement of the law. In 2003, the Supreme Court held in Lawrence v. Texas that states may not punish same sex conduct as a crime. All laws that do have been unconstitutional since that 2003 ruling. A major basis of the sweeping ruling was the recognition that LGBT Americans deserve to be treated with respect and dignity – something that Alabama entirely ignores with this law.
In South Carolina, sex education teachers are barred by law from talking about LGBT relationships, except in the context of disease:
(5) The program of instruction provided for in this section may not include a discussion of alternate sexual lifestyles from heterosexual relationships including, but not limited to, homosexual relationships except in the context of instruction concerning sexually transmitted diseases.
8 states have anti-LGBT, ‘no promo homo’ education laws
At least eight states have anti-LGBT curriculum laws that expressly require demeaning LGBT relationships or sexuality: Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Utah.
Sometimes called “no promo homo” laws, they reflect the ridiculous belief that curriculum inclusive of all people somehow “promotes” being gay. Some of these laws affirmatively require schools to portray LGBT people in a negative light, or prohibit schools from portraying LGBT people in a positive light. Others prohibit even the discussion of LGBT people in certain curriculum. Several states, like Alabama above, actually require instructing students on the wrong law.
What are these states thinking? If we talk about same sex relationships in health class, everyone will turn gay!
The dangerous statistics of teaching hate
LGBT kids in states that require this stigmatizing are more likely to hear homophobic remarks from school staff, are less likely to report incidents of harassment and assault to school staff, and are less likely to report having support from educators. Moreover, when incidents occur and educators do intervene, they do so less effectively in these states.
It’s still so hard to be an adolescent who is not heterosexual. LGBT kids are four times more likely to commit suicide than their straight peers. Each incident of harassment increases those odds.
How outrageous and sad that so many American states teach hate, when they should be teaching our children to respect and celebrate diversity.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Avvo.
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4 comments
SL
I am not so sure of the accuracy of this article. According to what is stated here, my local public school is in Violation of SC law. Somehow I have my doubts on that.
Vincent Adams
Alabama law flat-out requires that schools teach kids homophobia:
(c) Course materials and instruction that relate to sexual education or sexually transmitted diseases should include all of the following elements: […]
(8) An emphasis, in a factual manner and from a public health perspective, that homosexuality is not a lifestyle acceptable to the general public and that homosexual conduct is a criminal offense under the laws of the state.
LEGALLY required hate instruction? Wow - Typical liberal play on words and driving their agenda by name calling and attempting to shame. Less than 3% are defined as homosexual nationwide - 97% do not participate in that lifestyle so that is a lifestyle not acceptable to the general public and it is against the law to commit sodomy. Those are FACTS being laid out in the law.
Thank God for Alabama and other states taking the right stand for our children! Many more should do the same.
Anna Karenina
I sincerely hope the "Adams Law Group" knows there's a "troll" posing as a representative of their firm who's posting ridiculous comments like this on the internet to libel them. This is the only possible explanation, since no lawyer (not even one with such an amateurish, "tacky, ambulance-chaser"-style website) you actually say,
"Less than 3% are defined as homosexual nationwide – 97% do not participate in that lifestyle so that is a lifestyle not acceptable to the general public and it is against the law to commit sodomy. Those are FACTS being laid out in the law."
Since, of course (as is clearly stated in the article that you're commenting on), Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558 invalidated all "sodomy" laws in the United States in 2003, meaning that "sodomy" is not "illegal" anywhere in the US.
(And if you ARE actually a "lawyer", I hope people do some research before hiring you.)
Vincent Adams
Excellent. Hopefully Alabama will continue to make this CORRECT stand and do even more if need be. They took God out of the schools 40 years ago and today want to replace it with homosexual agendas. And the liberals love to spew the line don't push your beliefs on me, yet they do exactly that with homosexuality agendas.
Look at the curriculum in public schools up until the 60's. They taught Bible classes, held scripture readings, held bible drills, scripture memorization, prayed as a group, et al. Much more than prayer removal. Research and see how schools educated our children from the 1700's till the 1960's. All this has been scraped and removed slowly over the years. However, today, schools are being forced to inject homosexual agendas using cloaked "diversity and equal rights" rally cries. If they wanted to offer Muslims prayers, fine. Just choose to not participate and opt out. If there is no interest, fine - stop having them. If you don't want God in the schools why are you interested in homosexual agendas in schools? Why should we expect the government to organize and regulate the homosexual agenda in our schools and FORCE it on our children? Don't want the right wingers forcing their religion on you, but it is fine to force homosexuality on everyone. Homosexuality is some people's religion - they live for it, die for it, lobby for it, invest in it, et al. Same question for you, but since it is your agenda we can't ask the same questions, and if we do we are labeled haters and other negative adjectives at an attempt to intimidate and threaten lawsuits. We should not expect the government to organize or regulate homosexuality in our schools. Why is that so hard?