Hating on LGBTQIA people, packaged as pro-family initiative.
In Tennessee in the USA, teachers may now be required to “out” transgender students to their parents. This is after rightwing Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed a legislation that requires schools to alert parents if their child started transitioning – e.g. requested to go by a name that’s different from the one assigned at birth, or set of pronouns that differs from their school forms.
If schools do not forcibly out their transgender students, the new law allows parents to consider civil action.
In introducing the anti-LGBTQIA bill, its sponsor, Republican representative from Dickson, Mary Littleton, said the legislation supports parents’ right to know what goes on in their child’s school. “I also think that possibly they could get that child some therapy that could help them solve their problems and make their way through school.”
However, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), any legislation outing children poses a serious danger particularly to transgender children because they “are much more likely to be abused by their immediate family based on their gender identity, and high risks of abuse and family rejection mean trans youth are overrepresented in foster care homes, juvenile detention centers, and homeless shelters. These high rates of familial rejection and abuse dramatically increase the risks of suicidality, substance abuse, and depression. Not every child can be their true selves at home without risking their physical or emotional well-being.”
The new law takes effect immediately.
