The Utah Legislature has a fondness for aggression toward marginalized citizens. These attacks extend past the anti-trans and anti-DEI bills Gov. Cox signed at the end of last month.

H.B. 303, sponsored by Rep. Jeffrey Stenquist, would require school officials and employees to stay neutral on certain viewpoints. It would restrict certain vital discussions in school, including those about gender identity and sexuality.

In a world where advocating for equality and justice for all is often considered radical, staying neutral and restricting important discussions reinforces oppression. These bills, if passed, would function as “don’t say gay” laws, censoring students and teachers.

Stenquist’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Agenda

In Utah’s 2023 legislative session, Stenquist introduced his own version of Florida’s “Don’t say gay” bill, which prohibited discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms.

After listening to the LGBTQ+ community’s concerns, Stenquist updated the bill to only apply to kindergarten through third-grade classrooms. The bill didn’t pass.

But his new bill, School Curriculum Requirements, if passed, would require instructors and school staff to remain neutral about topics such as politics and social beliefs — including sexual orientation and gender identity. Inviting, suggesting or encouraging students to reflect on these matters would violate the bill. This vague language could be used against teachers who mention LGBTQ+ topics in the classroom. It would even restrict teachers from displaying pride flags.

These restrictions only reinforce the fear of the queer child, which is embedded in Stenquist’s bills. It spreads the moral panic that queer adults will groom children or make them queer. Students deserve to be taught queer history, queer stories and about the fluidity of sexual and gender identities.

Political or not, it can be a matter of life and death.

Despite listening to LGBTQ+ Utahns last year, Stenquist has created yet another “don’t say gay” bill. This one would also require teachers to tiptoe around other topics.

There’s No Neutrality

Ultimately, neutrality is a political choice to maintain the status quo, and it marginalizes students more.

A teacher’s transparency about personal viewpoints can encourage discussion, providing an opportunity for students to practice thinking critically and articulating their own opinions. This kind of classroom environment also demonstrates respect for students’ autonomy.

The bill that H.B. 303 amends already calls for neutrality of religious beliefs. But students in American schools recite the Pledge of Allegiance every morning, which asserts that the country is a nation “under God.” Some argue that this promotes a particular religion. Amending the bill to include neutrality of political and social beliefs would be laughable if it wasn’t downright harmful.

Everything is politicized, from bathrooms to inclusivity to climate change. Teachers cannot touch on every point of view on every topic, but they can make important choices about what to teach and how.

Current American school curricula are full of blatant lies. Staying neutral in history class, for example, would entail teaching known falsities.

Utah Needs More Education

Placed in the context of other bills proposed in this legislative session, H.B. 303 is made even more serious.

Another lawmaker, Rep. Tim Jimenez, wants to remove human sexuality from the definition of sex education instruction and require parental consent for that portion. Utah’s current curricula are already lacking, to say the least. It stresses abstinence, and sex and sexuality are hardly mentioned. This leads to shame, guilt and stigma.

Jimenez’s bill would close the door to future inclusion of queer experiences in sex education. Combined with Stenquist’s bill, schools would only become more unsafe for teachers and students. Less inclusive education also worsens the mental and physical health of queer students.

Lawmakers’ efforts to reduce vital curricula and the autonomy of teachers cannot go unnoticed. Utah needs more education, not less. Even if these bills don’t pass, citizens must pay attention to related legislation in the future. Utah lawmakers don’t give up, as evidenced by Stenquist’s LGBTQ+ bills.

Teachers should emphasize teaching critical thinking skills. But they must be trusted to make decisions about topics in which neutrality is impossible. Forcing them to stay silent would shut down important discussions that Utahns need to facilitate now more than ever.

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@carolinegjarvis