A Bill in Louisiana Would Prohibit Teachers to Talk About their Sexual Orientation in Classrooms

The state of Louisiana filed a bill that would prohibit K-12 schools to discuss sexual orientation and gender identity topics in classes. The bill is modeled after Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. 

The House Bill 837 would prohibit teachers from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity topics with students in certain grade levels of public schools. 

The bill would also ban teachers from talking about their own sexual orientation or gender identity with students. 

The bill was filed by Representative Dodie Horton, who told Louisiana Illuminator that she filled the bill to “protect our children from conversations that are not age-appropriate.”

“Teachers influence our children and they should never teach them their own preference,” Horton says.  

Horton admitted that the “Don’t Say Gay” bill inspired her but that the bill is not the same as Florida’s bill. 

“This is not a ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill,” Horton says. “It has nothing to do with someone’s lifestyle choice. Their sexual orientation is between them and God, and it’s their choice.”

SarahJane Guidry, executive director of Forum for Equality, tells the Illuminator that Horton’s bill is designed to “stigmatize LGBTQ people, isolate LGBTQ kids, and make teachers fearful of providing safe, inclusive classrooms” across the state.

“The existence of LGBTQ students, parents and teachers is not a taboo topic that should be regulated by the Louisiana Legislature,” Guidry says. “We will not stand by while our elected officials attempt to censor discussions of LGBTQ youth, families, and history. HB 837 is about erasing our existence.”

Governor John Bel Edwards is in opposition to the bill and made it clear that the bill would only divide people. 

“Some of the bills being brought up this session do nothing to make lives better. Nothing to continue moving us forward. They only serve to divide us. And frankly, some are reminiscent of a dark past that we should learn from, not relive,” Edwards says. 

The bill will only make it worse for LGBTQ youth, who are already experiencing high rates of bullying at school, and will make it more difficult for them to live authentically and feel supported.