A state in the US has moved to repeal so-called 'no promo homo' laws which prohibits teachers talking about gay people in the classrom.
With nearly unanimous support in the Senate after nearly unanimous support in the House, if Utah Gov. Gary Herbert signs the bill, it will go into immediate effect.
The bill was introduced after Equality Utah and the National Center for Lesbian Rights sued the state and several school districts last year over the prohibition, arguing that it’s discriminatory. The lawsuit was put on hold to give the legislature time to repeal the law.
Laws will remain in effect in seven other states, including Alabama, which tells schools to communicate that “homosexuality is not a lifestyle acceptable to the general public.”
A 2016 report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) documented the horrifying experience that LGBTQ students can go through in US schools, from physical assault to bullying to outright discrimination by staff. HRW argued that “no promo homo” laws, along with a lack of nondiscrimination measures, such as explicit anti-bullying protections for LGBTQ kids, enable the abuse and discrimination.
