South Dakota House OKs ban on teaching about gender dysphoria

[itsApril]

Republicans are on the march again!

South Dakota House OKs ban on teaching about gender dysphoria
Feb. 13, 2019, 11:00 AM PST
By The Associated Press

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/south-dakota-house-oks-ban-teaching-about-gender-dysphoria-n971061

"South Dakota representatives approved a bill Tuesday that would prohibit public school instruction about gender dysphoria through seventh grade.  The House voted 39-30 to send the measure to the state Senate. Republican Rep. Tom Pischke, the sponsor, said the intent of the measure is to make sure that public schools are not "teaching and confusing our young children to be more susceptible to this dysphoria."

"People with gender dysphoria suffer discomfort or distress due to the discrepancy between their gender identity and gender at birth. Democratic Rep. Kelly Sullivan said legislation that targets transgender kids amounts to discrimination.

* * *

"Republican Rep. Fred Deutsch, a bill supporter who proposed an unsuccessful measure in 2016 to restrict the bathrooms transgender students could use, said children who have psychological conditions, including gender dysphoria, need compassion and respect. But he said it's vital that "we protect our children that we're sending to public schools from the influences of other children that are suffering with different disorders."

"I don't want my grandchildren going to kindergarten and being confused if they're a boy or a girl," he said. "Treat our children with respect, all of them, but let's not subject them to notions of fancy."  Republican Rep. Taffy Howard said supporters want educators to do their jobs: teach reading, writing and arithmetic.

"South Dakota this year has introduced four "anti-trans" bills, more than any other state, said Cathryn Oakley, state legislative director and senior counsel at the Human Rights Campaign. Oakley said it's not really clear what the gender dysphoria bill would do, "other than truly stigmatize" transgender children and imply that they can be taught to be transgender. . . ."

[AnneK]

Republicans are on the march again!

It's not just the Repubs.  We got a new "Progressive" (Regressive?) Conservative government in Ontario last year.  The first thing they did was role back the sex ed curriculum to one from 20 years ago.  Our new premier, Doug Ford, is a Trump Lite.  He's just as regressive in his actions and policies.  Like Trump, he only squeaked by in the leadership race, because another candidate threw her support behind him.  She also wanted to role back the curriculum.  Then, he only won 40% of the vote, but that's all he cares about, as though the rest of us don't matter.  He is doing a lot of damage to this province.

Incidentally, there's a good book "The Plot To Destroy Democracy", by Malcolm Nance, that details how Trump and his supporters, including the evangelicals and NRA, are getting to bed with Putin, to destroy democracy and curtail human rights.

https://www.amazon.com/Plot-Destroy-Democracy-Undermining-Dismantling/dp/0316484814

[MaryT]

What will happen when a trans child enrols in one of the schools where teaching about gender dysphoria is banned?  Won't the other children be much more confused if their teachers can't explain what gender dysphoria is?  Or will the trans child just have to hide or get beaten up?  Nothing new there, then.

[AnneK]

What will happen when a trans child enrols in one of the schools where teaching about gender dysphoria is banned?  Won't the other children be much more confused if their teachers can't explain what gender dysphoria is?  Or will the trans child just have to hide or get beaten up?  Nothing new there, then.

Here's what's happening in Ontario.
https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2019/02/07/closing-arguments-begin-in-sex-ed-challenge-at-human-rights-tribunal.html

BTW, Doug Ford threatened to create a "snitch line", where parents could report teachers who taught taboo material.

[itsApril]

more on the same story . . .

South Dakota lawmakers bring transgender discrimination to the classroom with censorship bill

ThinkProgress.org
by ZACK FORD
FEB 13, 2019, 9:38 AM

https://thinkprogress.org/south-dakota-transgender-school-erasure-cabc8f124480/

"The South Dakota House of Representatives voted to approve a bill Tuesday that would erase transgender kids from the state's schools. Though several states still have "no promo homo" laws that prohibit any discussion of homosexuality in schools, this is the first "no promo trans" bill to actually have traction in the country.

"House Bill 1108, which advanced by a vote of 39-30, adds only one line of text to the state's books: "No instruction in gender dysphoria may be provided to any student in kindergarten through grade seven in any public school in the state." This simple-sounding legislation could have massive consequences for transgender youth.

"Many transgender kids come out at very young ages, and research has consistently shown that they are best served through affirmation, including respecting their names and pronouns. It's unclear if the legislation would allow schools to accommodate trans kids whatsoever, but it would certainly come into play when a student transitions. Even telling other students what name and pronouns to use for the student might be prohibited, and certainly any education about trans issues to help protect that student from bullying would be a nonstarter.

"The legislation would likewise surely result in book banning. While there are a number of age-appropriate books that help kids understand their transgender and gender nonconforming classmates (including I Am Jazz, Julián Is a Mermaid, and Red: A Crayon's Story) none would be permitted in South Dakota schools. . . .

[GingerVicki]

I wonder if they teach the creation theory and not about evolution. This bill is taking things too far. And the discrimination continues.

[AnneK]

I wonder if they teach the creation theory and not about evolution. This bill is taking things too far. And the discrimination continues.

Given this is driven largely by evangelicals and other religious types, you can bet they'd want to.  However, unless the law changes, they can't.