Dem Gov Vetoes Bill Banning Student Pronoun Changes Without Parental Consent
Reagan Reese on May 23, 2023
Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a bill Monday that would have prohibited educators from using pronouns that don’t correspond with a student’s biological sex.
Under SB 1001, educators could not use a students’ preferred pronouns or transgender name without parental permission. The bill passed the state Senate in March in a 16-12 vote and the state House in May, 31-27, before being vetoed by Hobbs.
“As politicians across the country continue to pass harmful legislation directed at transgender youth, I have a clear message to the people of Arizona: I will veto every bill that aims to attack and harm children,” Hobbs said in a Monday announcement.
The bill only applied to students under 18 and required educators to use what name and sex was noted on a student’s school records.
“If a child is receiving mental health care and that child’s physician advises not to treat the child as a different gender, then a school going against the doctor’s wishes without the parent’s permission would create reason for a lawsuit,” Republican state Sen. John Kavanagh told KTAR News. “This is a dangerous situation for children who are struggling with mental health issues.”
Lawmakers throughout the country are moving to regulate how gender identity and sexual orientation are discussed in the classroom; in Iowa, state lawmakers are considering a bill that would prohibit teachers from giving lessons “relating to gender identity” for students in K-8 public and charter schools. Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law prohibiting certain lessons on gender identity and sexual orientation in Pre-K-12 classrooms.
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