AL State Legislature's Attempt to Expand "Don't Say Gay or Trans" Bill

GLSEN Condemns Alabama State Legislature's Attempt to Expand "Don't Say Gay or Trans" Bill and It's Harassment of Employees at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center

March 18, 2024 – GLSEN, the leading national non-profit working to support LGBTQ+ youth in K-12 schools, extends its support to employees of Alabama’s Space Camp who are being targeted by the state’s “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” bill. State Rep. Mack Butler (R-28), the sponsor of a bill attempting to expand the provisions in state law, announced plans to further extend the state’s discriminatory laws beyond the classroom to extracurricular programs, which includes Space Camp, an educational program provided by the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.

Current state law prohibits public school teachers from leading discussions or instructing students on topics of sexual orientation and gender identity through grade 5. Rep. Butler’s proposed bill HB130 will extend those restrictions through grade 12 and, once amended, to all programs at Space Camp and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. HB130 will be heard in the House Education Policy Committee on March 20th at 1:30PM CST.

GLSEN extends its support to ALTRAC, the Alabama Transgender Rights Action Coalition, an organization dedicated to providing information and guidance to concerned Alabama citizens who want to contact their lawmakers about legislative attacks on queer and transgender people. The ALTRAC website provides guidance to Alabamians who would like to speak out against these bills, in solidarity with the LGBTQI+ community. Actionable steps can be found at the link here.

GLSEN’s Executive Director Melanie Willingham-Jaggers (they/she) provided the following statement condemning the action:

"The latest attempts to expand Alabama's regressive 'Don't Say Gay or Trans' bill beyond the classroom shows that extremist legislators will stop at nothing to silence our community and push LGBTQI+ people back into the closet. GLSEN stands firmly against this legislative overreach that weaponizes state government to perpetuate further harassment and targeting of employees at Space Camp. When the Supreme Court has already ruled that employees are protected from workplace discrimination on the basis of gender identity, the legislature should reject these shortsighted efforts to intimidate hardworking Alabamans into silence. We express our unwavering support to ALTRAC, the Alabama Transgender Rights Action Coalition, and stand in solidarity with all LGBTQI+ students and educators in Alabama."

For press inquiries, please reach out to:

GLSEN
Madison Hamilton, Director of Communications and Public Voice
press@glsen.org

Lucky Break PR
Mark Umbach, Lucky Break PR
mark@luckybreakpr.com

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About GLSEN

GLSEN is a multi-racial intergenerational LGBTQ+ organization working nationally and locally to transform K-12 educational systems in the United States. Each year, GLSEN programs and resources reach millions of students and educators in K-12 schools, via action at the national, state, and local level. Since 1990, GLSEN has improved conditions for LGBTQ+ students across the United States and helped launch an international movement to address LGBTQ+ issues in education.