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Lawmakers around the country are introducing bills targeting LGBTQ students

A huge multi-colored flag flies over Ocean Drive as people participate in the Pride Parade, during the Miami Beach Pride Festival, in Lummus Park, South Beach, Florida.
A huge multi-colored flag flies over Ocean Drive as people participate in the Pride Parade, during the Miami Beach Pride Festival, in Lummus Park, South Beach, Florida.

Schools continue to be at the center of today’s political conflicts. Lawmakers across the U.S. are introducing bills that would significantly impact LGBTQ students.

The so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Florida would ban classroom discussion about sexual orientation and gender identity. It will also allow parents to sue if a school violates the rule.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has already signaled his support for the bill. The White House, however, has come down hard on the proposal, calling it hateful.

In South Dakota, the first anti-transgender law of 2022 makes it so that school sports must be segregated by sex assigned at birth.

We talk about why these bills are cropping up and what they actually mean for schools and students.

Copyright 2022 WAMU 88.5

Michelle Harven