MNEA Condemns Anti-LGBTQI Legislation
Statement from the MNEA Racial and Social Justice Committee, Passed by the MNEA Board of Directors 04-06-21
The Metropolitan Nashville Education Association condemns HB800/SSB1216, HB1535/SB659, HB529/SB1229, and HB1233/SB1367. These dangerous bills violate the human rights of students, teachers, and community members. As educators, our job is to protect our school communities, and standing against these bills is not just a moral responsibility, but a professional one.
Summary of Bills:
HB1535/SB659: No supplemental materials may be used in the classroom unless they have been approved by the State Board of Education.
HB800/SSB1216: Textbooks/instructional materials used in classrooms cannot approve, promote, normalize, support or address lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) “issues or lifestyles.”
HB529/SB1229: Parental/guardian notice must be given if materials related to sexual orientation or gender identity are used; parents must also be given the option to opt out.
HB1233/SB1367: Schools must make accommodations for students who do NOT want to share space with trans students and forbids schools from making accommodations for trans students.
An inclusive curriculum is vital to the wellbeing of all students for both creating representation and developing empathy. LGBTQ+ students deserve to see themselves mirrored in their curriculum, and all students deserve to have a comprehensive curriculum that includes diverse perspectives from the present and is honest about history. Schools that teach LGBTQ+ history and literature see LGBTQ+ students with higher self-esteem and sense of belonging and cis-straight students who are more empathetic and more likely to stand up for their peers.
These bills would allow state control over everyday decisions educators make to support our students and welcome them in our schools and classrooms. We are standing up for our teachers’ and students’ rights to have an honest and inclusive curriculum and to not be censored. Allowing the state to banish these materials and conversations or allowing parents to opt out of these conversations will perpetuate homophobia, further alienate LGBTQ+ students, and fail to prepare our students to exist in a multicultural world.
Students’ academic wellbeing is not the only thing at stake, but their physical and mental health. If trans students are denied safe facilities this will undoubtedly lead to bullying and violence against them, as well as compounding on the mental health struggles our trans students are already experiencing at a higher rate than their cis peers. It is our duty to keep our students safe.
Refusing to stand by and watch these bills pass, and refusing to follow these homophobic and transphobic guidelines from our state if they come to pass, will literally save our LGBTQ+ students’ lives.
You can send Governor Bill Lee comments about these bills here.
You can also contact your state representatives here.