I think one of my biggest issues with the bill is that it is marketed as ‘Ohio’s Don’t Say Gay bill,’ but when you read the bill, there’s so much in it.” “It’s a slap in the face to a lot of folks. “In my opinion, it means a step backward,” says Akii Butler of the Ohio Student Association.
According to ABC News, the bill proposes “‘curriculum or instructional materials on sexual orientation or gender identity would be banned in classrooms starting from kindergarten through third grade.” In higher grades, the bill would ban lessons that are “not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.” The Ohio Student Association organizers – the voters closest in age to the students who will ultimately be affected by this bill – will kick off their campaign to prevent House Bill 616 from becoming Ohio state law.ĭubbed “Ohio’s Don’t Say Gay bill,” HB 616 borrows heavily from the language used in the Florida legislation of the same name. And young Black people were up in arms, literally. In April, Republican legislators introduced the latest bill viewed by many as an attack on education.
