Utah House kills bill banning LGBTQ+ Pride flags...

[Jessica_Rose]

Utah House kills bill banning LGBTQ+ Pride flags and political views from classrooms

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/utah-house-kills-bill-banning-lgbtq-pride-flags-and-political-views-from-classrooms/ar-BB1iWkA3?ocid=windirect&cvid=ebe923ac360847fb8fdbb38afcdcba3f&ei=10

Story by By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM (26 Feb 2024)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah teachers will be free to display LGBTQ+ Pride flags and other social, political or religious imagery after the state House blocked a bill on Monday that would have banned teachers from using their position to promote or disparage certain beliefs.

The Republican-led chamber defeated the proposal in a 39-32 vote as they raced to address hundreds of outstanding bills during the final week of the 2024 legislative session. Both Democrats and Republicans criticized the bill's vague language and warned that it could stymie important lessons in critical thinking.

Educators would have been prohibited under the bill from encouraging a student to reconsider their sexual orientation or gender, and they could have faced punishment for affirming or refusing to affirm a student's identity. Challenging a student's political viewpoints or religious beliefs, even within the context of an educational exercise, also could have left a teacher vulnerable to a lawsuit.

Utah Education Association Director Sara Jones raised concern that a teacher with a family photo on their desk — one of the few personal displays allowed under the bill — could still be punished if that image included their same-sex partner or showed their family standing outside a place of worship.