Dozens of Missouri residents appeared at the state Capitol on Tuesday in opposition to a bill sponsored by Rep. Chuck Basye that would allow parents to withdraw students from any activity that includes material teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity.
Under Basye’s bill, everything from club posters to class curriculum would be considered course material.
Basye, R-Rocheport, said he introduced the bill after hearing concerns about posters distributed by the student Gay/Straight Alliance Club at Gentry Middle School. The students had posted signs defining different sexual orientations and genders.
Basye said the bill was to protect parents’ rights, and one parent testified in support. Jay Atkins, a Gentry Middle School parent, said he does not have a problem with allowing students to learn about LGBTQ issues but that those issues should remain in sex education, where parents can pull out students if they so choose.
Rep. Judy Morgan, D-Kansas City, cited Harvey Milk in her opposition to the bill. Milk was the first openly gay man to be elected to a public office in California. Milk served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for 10 months before a former board member assassinated him. Morgan said she is concerned that if Basye’s bill were to pass, it could give parents license to remove their students from a history class talking about Milk and cause more problems within the classroom environment.
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