'Don't Say Gay' Legislation Pushed As PA GOP Rallies Against Abortion

HARRISBURG, PA — Republicans in Pennsylvania are putting a renewed focus on legislation which would restrict schools from teaching on topics like sexual orientation and gender identity until after 5th grade. Critics of the bill malign it as the "don't say gay" law, and argue it goes even farther than the controversial Florida legislation which inspired it.

Both pro and anti-abortion activists rallied at the state capitol in Harrisburg Monday, as abortion — and the bill — take center stage in a gubernatorial campaign that will determine the future of reproductive rights in Pennsylvania.

The bill's sponsor, State Rep. Stephanie Borowicz (R-Centre/Clinton), said Tuesday that the proposed "Parental Bill of Rights" is about more than just the timing of when these subjects are taught.

"Many of the mothers joining us today in the state Capitol Rotunda have discovered sexually explicit content and pornographic images in children’s books in school libraries," she said. "Passage of my (bill) will fundamentally guarantee that our children can remain children by allowing parents to vigilantly protect their innocence for as long as possible."

Beyond restricting the content taught to children of a certain age, the bill would also require districts to notify parents of any change in "services" provided by the school. The implication is that schools might encourage students to not be forthcoming with parents about certain types of mental or emotional support received.

Opponents of the measure include an independent United Nations Human Rights Council report, "Violence and Discrimination based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity,""Violence and Discrimination based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity," which argued that such laws effectively endorse bullying in schools.

"The adoption of comprehensive sexuality education inclusive of sexualorientation and gender identity can significantly reduce physical and psychological health risks for LGBT and gender-diverse youth," argued Victor Madrigal-Borloz, the Harvard Law school researcher and Costa Rican jurist who wrote the study.

But for anti-abortion protesters rallying in Harrisburg on Tuesday, banning abortions and controlling content in schools are cut from the same family and Christian-centric cloth that seeks to give individual parents leeway to apply their values in the public sphere.

The language used by Borowicz about empowering parents echoes that used by State Sen. Doug Mastriano, the GOP candidate for governor, who has built part of his campaign around last year's statewide surge in school board meeting gripes over critical race theory and coronavirus restrictions.

Democratic opponents of the bill call it extremism in the same vein of Mastriano's abortion stance, which calls for outlawing the procedure with no exceptions for rape or incest.

“When we think about the threats to our democracy, connected to that is the ongoing threats to our fundamental freedoms," State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta said. "The freedom to choose not just what to do with your own body, but the freedom to choose who you love, and to have that love respected."

After being introduced in late May, the bill was just referred to the education committee in the state house last week. Gov. Tom Wolf has previously vowed to veto any legislation of a similar vein, including a "curriculum transparency" attempt by General Assembly Republicans to require school districts to post subject materials online for parental approval.