Arizona Lawmakers are trying to Legalize Discrimination
Tell Your Legislators to Say NO to discrimination and NO to SB1456
SB1456, a bill that would erase LGBTQ+ lives and experiences from public education in Arizona, will be debated on the House floor tomorrow, 4/14. This bill must be stopped.
We need you to contact your legislators today to tell them to stand up against this discriminatory bill tomorrow and when it’s time to vote no on SB1456.
Why SB1456 is Dangerous for Arizona:
How SB1456 Works: SB1456 bans sex education before the 5th grade and creates unnecessary hurdles to HIV prevention education. This bill would create a double opt-in process: first, parents need to opt their student into sex education; then, second, would need to opt their student into HIV prevention education. Basic topics of gender identity and gender expression are similarly put behind an opt-in process.
What this would mean for Arizona: SB1456 would have a chilling effect on education. Any mention of sexuality, gender identity, or gender expression would require parental notification and an opt-in process. This would freeze teachers’ ability to cover significant moments in LGBTQ history, like the Stonewall Rebellion or the AIDS epidemic, or even the simple existence of LGBTQ people in their curricula. Read literally, any mention of gender or sexuality, down to something as simple as the wedding ring a teacher might wear, would trigger this process of parental notification and opt-in, and grind the educational system to a halt.