First me bathroom bills, then “Don’t Say Gay.” But state lawmakers may jt be gettg started.
Contents:
- NOT JT FLORIDA. MORE THAN A DOZEN STAT PROPOSE SO-LLED 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILLS
- FOR ALABAMA’S ONLY GAY LAWMAKER, A POLIL DEFEAT WAS DEEPLY PERSONAL
- WT VIRGIA REPUBLIN STATE LAWMAKER OUT AS GAY
- GAY STATE LAWMAKERS HOPE GROWTH NUMBERS HELPS HUMANIZE THEIR
NOT JT FLORIDA. MORE THAN A DOZEN STAT PROPOSE SO-LLED 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILLS
Neil Rafferty’s paful experience as a young man fluenced his efforts to block new rtrictns on gay and transgenr youth. He me up short. * gay state lawmakers *
Most are Democrats, and anti-Tmp fervor spurred many to Kirkpatrick for The New York TimThe number of gay, lbian, bisexual and transgenr elected officials has ntued to surge, growg by about 17 percent the last year to nearly 1, 000 natnwi — more than double the number jt four years ago, acrdg to a new annual ranks now clu two ernors, two Uned Stat senators, ne members of Congrs, 189 state legislators and 56 mayors, acrdg to the report om the L. Parker was one of the first openly gay mayors of a major Amerin is the fifth year that the stute has surveyed the natn, and total L. Across the Uned Stat, at least a dozen stat are nsirg new legislatn that several ways will mirror Florida's new ntroversial law, referred to by some opponents as "Don't Say Gay.
"The stutnalizatn of the bills is an overt form of stctural transphobia and homophobia, and go agast all public health evince creatg a safe and supportive environment for transgenr, nonbary, queer, gay and lbian youths and teachers to thrive, " Arjee Rtar, assistant profsor of epimlogy at the Universy of Washgton, told NPR. Rtar, a social epimlogist and health equy advote, said the ntroversial bills will lim all youths to live to their fullt potential, addg "there should be no room for transphobia and homophobia — pecially the classroom.
" Tennsee's HB 800 bans books and stctnal materials "that promote, normalize, support, or addrs lbian, gay, bi-sexual, or transgenr issu or liftyle. Two years after Arizona lawmakers repealed a law barrg any stctn on HIV or AIDS that that "promot a homosexual liftyle, " they are close to enactg a broad remake of the state's sex tn laws wh a particular foc on LGBTQ issu. "Florida may be the first this wave, but there have been other laws the past that were lled 'no promo homo' laws, which forbid sayg posive thgs about lbian, gay, bisexual, and queer people classrooms, " Simmons told NPR.
FOR ALABAMA’S ONLY GAY LAWMAKER, A POLIL DEFEAT WAS DEEPLY PERSONAL
* gay state lawmakers *
New York Cy is lnchg a digal billboard mpaign, supportg LGBTQ visibily that will be displayed five major markets Florida for eight weeks, to lure Floridians unhappy wh their state's "Don't Say Gay" law to the Big Apple, Adams announced. A judge also tossed a lawsu agast Florida’s Parental Rights Edutn law — dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law by crics, which prohibs “classroom stctn by school personnel or third parti on sexual orientatn or genr inty” krgarten through eighth gra, “or a manner that is not age-appropriate or velopmentally appropriate for stunts acrdance wh state standards. This hort is also the most diverse yet, thanks to the electn of the first three Black and openly gay reprentativ.
But ’s a rerd — and more than 30 years sce the state’s first openly gay legislator served.
WT VIRGIA REPUBLIN STATE LAWMAKER OUT AS GAY
AUSTIN — The number of Black LGBTQ state lawmakers Texas is about to triple. In May, Jolanda Jon beme the state’s first openly gay and Black state... * gay state lawmakers *
At Democrat Glen Maxey beme the first openly gay state reprentative 1991, when the HIV/AIDS epimic was ragg and the state’s law crimalizg homosexualy uld still be enforced. “In my first term, I had legislators who would jt yell out, ‘Don’t vote for the gay guy’s bill, ’” he relled. “And jt havg an openly gay person there who uld teract and make relatnships, or havg the symbol of the muny beg jt a regular hard-workg legislator, was a huge step forward for the muny.
Bis Garcia, the other three hmen are also the Hoe’s first woman and men who are Black and openly gay: Reps. Jolanda Jon was “stunned” to know that she’s the first Black and openly gay member of the Texas Hoe, havg won a special electn May.
GAY STATE LAWMAKERS HOPE GROWTH NUMBERS HELPS HUMANIZE THEIR
AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTNeil Rafferty’s paful experience as a young man fluenced his efforts to block new rtrictns on gay and transgenr youth. That legislatn also limed classroom discsns on genr and sexual orientatn, siar to a Florida measure rid by crics as “Don’t Say Gay.
Kay Ivey, a Republin, signed both measur the followg legislatn, now facg legal challeng, is part of a wave of bills about gay and transgenr youth beg bated and some s approved by nservative lawmakers across the untry.
Rafferty, a Democrat and the only openly gay member of the Alabama Legislature, the new laws reprented not jt a polil feat but a eply personal one, too — a velopment he had trouble discsg whout Welsh/The Montgomery Advertiser, via Associated Prs“I jt still don’t really know how to feel other than jt feel angry and worried about all the kids and their fai who have been reachg out to me, ” he said. Rafferty, 37, told his lleagu about the difficulty of growg up gay Alabama, was om paful personal and raised Birmgham, he first me out as gay 1998. He ran for the Legislature 2018, beg only the send openly gay lawmaker elected the state.