Georgia Follows Suit, Introduces Bill Similar to Florida’s ‘Parental Rights’ Legislation By Tré Goins-Phillips for Faith Wire
Georgia state senators introduced legislation Tuesday similar to the recently passed bill in Florida banning classroom instruction on “sexual orientation or gender identity” from pre-K through third grade.
The Georgia proposal, S.B. 613, centers on keeping discussions on issues like sexual orientation and gender identity out of instructional materials for primary grades across the state.
“No private or nonpublic school or program to which this chapter applies shall promote, compel, or encourage classroom discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels or in a manner that is not appropriate for the age and developmental stage of the student,” reads the legislative proposal.
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If passed and signed into law, the bill could go into effect as soon as July 1, ahead of the next school year.
The legislation would apply not just to public schools but also private institutions receiving funding through the Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program.
It also takes aim at some elements of Critical Race Theory, though it is not expressly named in the bill. The legislation would compel school officials to give “annual written assurances that the school in no way directs, promotes, encourages, or compels students to personally affirm, adopt, or adhere to any of the following tenets,” including: “That any sex, race, ethnicity, color, or national origin is inherently superior or inferior.”
Georgia state Sen. Carden Summers (R), who introduced the legislation, told Axios: “You can’t use the woke philosophy while using taxpayer funding.”
This comes after the Florida legislation, officially titled the Parental Rights in Education bill, was approved by the state Senate. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is expected to sign it into law.
Leftist activists and media outlets have mischaracterized the legislation as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, despite the fact the word “gay” is nowhere in the proposal. The word “gay,” as many on the left have suggested, would not be banned from schools.
That, however, did not stop some Florida Democrats from walking though a school shouting the word “gay.”
