Keystone Today

Last week, the Pennsylvania Commission on LGBTQ Affairs, along with education and youth advocates, spoke out against a bill that is modeled after the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill from Florida.

According to a release by Gov. Tom Wolf’s office on June 22, Senate Bill 1278 is described as a "copy-paste version” of the bill that opponents say would be discriminatory, set back human rights in the state of Pennsylvania and harm students. The bill, which was introduced on June 10, was approved by the Senate Education Committee and goes to the full Senate to be considered.

“Pennsylvania was founded on the basis of inclusion, and the Wolf Administration has fought to ensure that Pennsylvania will continue to be a state that welcomes and protects all of its residents,” said Rafael Álvarez Febo, executive director of the LGBTQ Affairs Commission. “This bill, which was introduced in the middle of Pride Month, is a cruel attempt to politicize LGBTQ people and deny their humanity in order to score cheap political points.”

Alvarez Febo said that calling LGBTQ people and topics “age-appropriate” is fear-mongering, and these kinds of bills cause LGBTQ teachers to conceal their identities and also lead far-right hate groups to commit violent acts. 

“While Pennsylvanians are struggling with very real issues such as gun violence, soaring prices and underfunded schools, the General Assembly has chosen to pick on LGBTQ children and teachers to score political points,” Alvarez Febo said. “This is deeply wrong and would have long-reaching consequences for our schools and human rights in Pennsylvania.”

Freddy Pernell is the commissioner for the LGBTQ Affairs Commission and said that he was `11-years-old when he first came out. He said he was afraid when he realized he was gay, but he was lucky that his school had experts and teachers who had come out that he could go to for advice. 

“These LGBTQ teachers became mentors that were crucial to my development into the person I am today,” said Pernell. “Efforts to keep conversations about identity out of schools will only hurt kids who are trying to come to discover who they really are.”

Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) President Rich Askey said he has concerns about any time educators are censored and prevented from “valuing, affirming and supporting students and families” due to sexual orientation or their gender identity.

“Lawmakers should focus on the very real challenges facing our public schools right now, including reducing substitute and teacher shortages, hiring more mental health professionals in our schools, keeping our schools safe, and passing a state budget that properly funds public education,” said Askey. “Educators spend their lives teaching and supporting their students. We don’t need politicians telling us how to do our jobs.”

Psychologist Katharine Dalke, MD, works with adolescents and young adults, and she said that when aspects of human diversity are not discussed it sends a message that something is wrong.

“This puts children who are already aware of their difference at risk and teaches all children to marginalize their classmates,” said Dalke. “Psychologists and educators have developed age-appropriate tools for talking about different kinds of families, relationships, and identities without talking about sex. If we want to raise the next generation of Pennsylvanians to be happy and healthy, we must teach acceptance — not discrimination.”