A new bill has been stalking the Tennessee House of Representatives. It’s been dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Pushed into the halls of legislation by State Rep. Joey Hensley, R-Hohenweld, the bill aims to limit sexual education in public schools to "natural human reproduction science" from kindergarten all the way up to eighth grade and bars educators from providing "any instruction or material that discusses sexual orientation other than heterosexuality."
I can’t believe it’s 2012.
At this point in history, does anybody really believe censorship of our children’s education is the answer to anything whatsoever?
"We don’t want students to be exposed to alternate lifestyles," Hensley said, in an interview with The Tennessean. “If their parents want them to know about that, they can teach them at home.”
I’m not sure how this logic applies to the modern mindset. Perhaps the most central goal of education, especially in young kids, is opening up the minds of students to new possibilities, cultures and fields of knowledge. If we didn’t go to school to learn about alternative perspectives, peoples and ways of life, then I don’t know what the point would be in attending school in the first place or how one could call the experience a complete “education.”
What is even more bothersome is the bill targets students in elementary and middle schools — a crucial time for self-exploration and understanding. The students in these age groups are certainly more eager to ask questions not only about sex but also the world they see around them. To deny these children the answers — the truth — is a severe injustice to the young students in this country and, in my eyes, it is a criminal act against the future prosperity of this generation and the nation.
The idea of this bill does nothing more than perpetuate the shocking amount of ignorance still lingering over the American populace, while eliminating one of the remaining safe adult environments for questioning young minds to speak candidly about sexuality — the guidance counselor’s office.
"We have a lot of students who are kind of coming to terms with who they are, whether it's sexual orientation-related or not," said Leigh Bagwell, coordinator of school counseling services for Metro Nashville Public Schools in an interview with USA Today. “I think we would be limited in our resources … to create a culture where students are accepted and be able to be who they are without fear, intimidation or harassment.”
Isn’t middle school hard enough without legislators restricting the right to ask certain questions and obtain certain information? These are 13-year-old kids — sex is on their minds and they are mature enough to ask questions about it and more than capable of processing the answers.
I would argue that it’s vital that they do so.
It isn’t just the right that’s in favor of the bill. Tennessee Rep. John DeBerry, D-Memphis, a minister and supporter of the bill, said in its defense, “The basic right as an American is my right to life, my right to liberty and my right to the pursuit of happiness.”
He must have forgotten that every other citizen in this country is an American, too, and entitled to the same rights.
Reach the columnist at jwadler@asu.edu
Click here to subscribe to the daily State Press newsletter.
