Louisiana State Senators advanced a bill on Thursday to ban discussions of LGBTQ+ issues in schools across the state, and prevent queer teachers from sharing details about their own lives.
Passed by the Senate on Thursday by a 28-7 margin with all Republican and 2 Democratic votes, House Bill 122 heads to Governor Jeff Landry’s desk, a staunch conservative who rallies against moderate voices within his party.
The bill, which would “prohibit teachers and others from discussing their sexual orientation or gender identity with students,” has been likened to the “Don’t Say Gay” bills of Florida, Texas and others by critics, who argue that the bills harm queer youth.
Mirroring Florida’s legislation, the proposal bans the discussion of LGBTQ+ issues in the classroom all the way through the high school level.
One Democratic state senator who voted against the bill, Royce Duplessis, cited data suggesting that 40% of LGBTQ+ youth contemplated suicide in the past year, and that “Don’t Say Gay” legislation makes queer youth mental health worse, per the New Orleans Advocate.
The legislation is the second in a week’s span to attack the rights of LGBTQ+ Louisianans, after a transgender bathroom ban monikered the “Women’s Safety and Protection Act” passed both chambers last Friday.
As the American Civil Liberties Union noted, more than 35 states have taken up bills to roll back or strip away protections from LGBTQ+ people, with at least 12 states passing such legislation in the first 5 months of 2024.
At a federal level, former President Donald Trump and supporters of the ultra-conservative Project 2025 gear up to strip away hard-fought LGBTQ+ rights gained over the last several decades. Additionally, after attacks on the 50-year-old right to seek abortions, speculation on whether the U.S. Supreme Court could overturn the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges mounts.
We’re not backing down in the face of Trump’s threats.
As Donald Trump is inaugurated a second time, independent media organizations are faced with urgent mandates: Tell the truth more loudly than ever before. Do that work even as our standard modes of distribution (such as social media platforms) are being manipulated and curtailed by forces of fascist repression and ruthless capitalism. Do that work even as journalism and journalists face targeted attacks, including from the government itself. And do that work in community, never forgetting that we’re not shouting into a faceless void – we’re reaching out to real people amid a life-threatening political climate.
Our task is formidable, and it requires us to ground ourselves in our principles, remind ourselves of our utility, dig in and commit.
As a dizzying number of corporate news organizations – either through need or greed – rush to implement new ways to further monetize their content, and others acquiesce to Trump’s wishes, now is a time for movement media-makers to double down on community-first models.
At Truthout, we are reaffirming our commitments on this front: We won’t run ads or have a paywall because we believe that everyone should have access to information, and that access should exist without barriers and free of distractions from craven corporate interests. We recognize the implications for democracy when information-seekers click a link only to find the article trapped behind a paywall or buried on a page with dozens of invasive ads. The laws of capitalism dictate an unending increase in monetization, and much of the media simply follows those laws. Truthout and many of our peers are dedicating ourselves to following other paths – a commitment which feels vital in a moment when corporations are evermore overtly embedded in government.
Over 80 percent of Truthout‘s funding comes from small individual donations from our community of readers, and the remaining 20 percent comes from a handful of social justice-oriented foundations. Over a third of our total budget is supported by recurring monthly donors, many of whom give because they want to help us keep Truthout barrier-free for everyone.
You can help by giving today. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger gift, Truthout only works with your support.