Horton’s bill failed to pass from the House Education Committee last month, when three Republicans joined Democrats in opposition in a 4-7 vote.Ĭonservatives in the Louisiana House of Representatives turned to a seldom used procedure the following week and moved the bill to the Committee of the Whole, where all representatives have a vote.īills brought before the Committee of the Whole are handled much like any other legislative hearing. Teachers and school employees would have been prohibited from discussing “personal sexual orientation or gender identity” with students in grades K-12th grade. Her bill would have made it illegal for schools to incorporate “classroom instruction or discussion relative to sexual orientation or gender identity” in kindergarten through eight-grade classes. Dodie Horton, R-Haughton, author of what’s been labeled Louisiana’s “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, told the Illuminator she has voluntarily shelved her bill for this legislative session. For now, Louisiana teachers will still be allowed to discuss sexual orientation and gender identity in K-12 classrooms.
