As you may already know, a sense of belonging is one of the most important aspects of a student’s educational journey. It’s necessary for academic growth, relationship building and one’s overall confidence within school walls. For many student groups, it’s something they’ve long desired. But in some states, lawmakers make this a seemingly unobtainable goal for them.
For district leaders and school administrators, it’s their highest priority to ensure every student has equitable access to learning. Whether it’s by expanding learning opportunities through education technology or incorporating school policies reflective of the student population, each is equally important in ensuring all students’ needs are met.
But in some cases, these efforts are barred by state policies targeting specific student sup groups, in this case, LGBTQ students.
The American Civil Liberties Union, a nonprofit that aims to preserve individual rights and liberties, tracks legislative attacks on LGBTQ rights in the U.S. According to their website, states have advanced bills in record numbers over the last few years. As the data suggests, states across the entire country have enacted several education-related bills targeting LGBTQ youth. However, six states in particular have proposed at least 10 bills this legislative session.
While not all of them will become law, according to the ACLU, their contents all cause harm for this group of students. These states aren’t the only ones that have proposed anti-LGBTQ bills, according to the data. Nearly every state has proposed at least one this year.
Here’s a brief overview of the number of bills in each of the six states:
Missouri
- 17 education-related bills, all of which are advancing.
Iowa
- 15 education-related bills, all of which are advancing.
Oklahoma
- 13 education-related bills, all of which are advancing.
Mississippi
- 12 education-related bills, all of which died in committee.
South Carolina
- 10 education-related bills, all of which are advancing.
Virginia
- 10 education-related bills, all of which died in committee.
“State lawmakers are trying to prevent trans students from participating in school activities like sports, force teachers to out students and censor any in-school discussions of LGBTQ people and issues,” the website reads. “Instead of limiting resources, education and opportunities, our schools should protect and support all students to learn and thrive.”
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