Anti-LGBTQ curriculum laws in the United States
[2] In July 2022, a wave of anti-LGBT curriculum resurgence saw ten such laws beginning to take effect in six different states.
[3] In Florida, the Parental Rights in Education law and Florida Board of Education policy bans education on "sexual orientation" or "gender identity" unless it is mandated under state academic standards or as part of an optional reproductive health course or lesson,[4][5][6] while Alabama bans the topics from kindergarten to grade 5, except for instruction deemed "age or developmentally appropriate,"[7][8] and Iowa bans the topics from kindergarten to grade 6.
"No sex education course offered in the public schools of the state shall utilize any sexually explicit materials depicting male or female homosexual activity ...
The major emphasis of any sex education instruction offered in the public schools of this state shall be to encourage sexual abstinence between unmarried persons and any such instruction shall: ... Emphasize abstinence from sexual activity outside of marriage as the expected standard for all school-age children."
For purposes of this section, abstinence-only education includes any type of instruction or program which, at an appropriate age ... [t]eaches the current state law related to sexual conduct, including forcible rape, statutory rape, ... and homosexual activity ... and teaches that a mutually faithful, monogamous relationship in the context of marriage is the only appropriate setting for sexual intercourse."
HB then was passed by the Senate Committee on Education on December 18th, 2024 with a 5-2 vote down party lines.
[25] The law prohibits classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity from kindergarten to grade 3 in Florida public school districts, or instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in a manner that is not "age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students" in any grade.
[26][27][28][29][30][31] The bill additionally prevents school districts from withholding information about a child's "mental, emotional, or physical well-being" from their parents.
[34] In October 2022, federal judge Wendy Berger dismissed the suit, for lack of standing, which challenged the legislation effective since July 1.
[35][36] In 2023, Ron DeSantis called for the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act to be expanded to the twelfth grade, hence banning all discussion on gender and sexual orientation topics.
[37] In April 2021, Alabama governor Kay Ivey signed a repeal[38] of a 1992 law that required "Course materials and instruction that relate to sexual education or sexually transmitted diseases should include ... an emphasis, in a factual manner and from a public health perspective, that homosexuality is not a lifestyle acceptable to the general public and that homosexual conduct is a criminal offense under the laws of the state."
However, in 2022, Ivey signed similar legislation prohibiting LGBTQ instruction in 2022 after Florida passed its law.
[41] In February 2024, a website was launched that aims to stop "objectionable curricula, policies, or programs affecting children".
It features a submission form where people can report school material that violates Indiana law.
[42][43] In July 2021, Arizona governor Doug Ducey signed a bill requiring parents to opt-in to any instruction "regarding sexuality.
[53] On March 8, 2017, the Utah State Legislature passed SB196, which removes the phrase "the advocacy of homosexuality" from the law.
