Northhampton News

A bill that is modeled after Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” was recently denounced by members of the Pennsylvania Commission on LGBTQ Affairs, as well as education and youth advocates.

According to a release by Gov. Tom Wolf’s office on June 22, Senate Bill 1278 is described as a “copy-paste” of the Florida bill. It was introduced on June 10 and approved by the Senate Education Committee. It is now heading to the full Senate for consideration. LGBTQ Affairs Commission Executive Director Rafael Alvarez Febo said that calling LGBTQ people and topics “age inappropriate” should be considered “fearmongering.” He said this not only affects students, but also LGBTQ teachers who would feel the need to conceal their identities. He also had fears that far-right hate groups could act violently towards LGBTQ individuals.

“Pennsylvania was founded on the basis of inclusion, and the Wolf Administration has fought to ensure that Pennsylvania will continue to be a state that welcomes and protects all of its residents,” said Rafael Álvarez Febo, executive director of the LGBTQ Affairs Commission. “This bill, which was introduced in the middle of Pride Month, is a cruel attempt to politicize LGBTQ people and deny their humanity in order to score cheap political points.”

He added, “While Pennsylvanians are struggling with very real issues such as gun violence, soaring prices and underfunded schools, the General Assembly has chosen to pick on LGBTQ children and teachers to score political points. This is deeply wrong and would have long-reaching consequences for our schools and human rights in Pennsylvania.”

LGBTQ Affairs Commissioner Freddy Pernell knows from experience how difficult it can be tome out at a young age, and he also spoke out against the proposed senate bill.

“I was 11 years old when I first came out. I was scared when I realized that I was gay, since my home environment wasn’t the most affirming place,” said Freddy Pernell, commissioner for the LGBTQ Affairs Commission. “I was lucky that my school had a variety of experts and out teachers who I could go to for advice. These LGBTQ teachers became mentors that were crucial to my development into the person I am today. Efforts to keep conversations about identity out of schools will only hurt kids who are trying to come to discover who they really are.”

Pennsylvania State Education Association President Rich Askey weighed in, as well, saying that he was concerned about educators being censored and setting a bad precedent.

“I have serious concerns about any effort aimed at censoring educators and preventing them from valuing, affirming, and supporting students and their families because of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) President Rich Askey. “Lawmakers should focus on the very real challenges facing our public schools right now, including reducing substitute and teacher shortages, hiring more mental health professionals in our schools, keeping our schools safe, and passing a state budget that properly funds public education. Educators spend their lives teaching and supporting their students. We don’t need politicians telling us how to do our jobs.”

Psychologist Katharine Dalke specializes in work with adolescents and young adults. She also denounced the bill and criticized the message it would send to LGBTQ individuals and their families.

“When we don’t talk about these normal aspects of human diversity, it sends the message that being different is wrong; this puts children who are already aware of their difference at risk and teaches all children to marginalize their classmates,” said Dalke. “Psychologists and educators have developed age-appropriate tools for talking about different kinds of families, relationships, and identities without talking about sex. If we want to raise the next generation of Pennsylvanians to be happy and healthy, we must teach acceptance — not discrimination.”