ACLU of NC Statement on Bill that Would Target Teachers and LGBTQ Students

RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina’s Senate Health Care Committee today advanced House Bill 755, a bill that would severely restrict teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.

Chantal Stevens, executive director for the ACLU of North Carolina, released the following statement in response to lawmakers advancing House Bill 755:

“Like Florida’s infamous “Don’t Say Gay Bill,” HB 755 is part of a national campaign to target and alienate LGBTQ students and a broader movement to exclude LGBTQ people from public life, limit what teachers can teach, and what students can learn.

“It is shameful that a group of politicians is advancing this discriminatory legislation to score political points at the expense of North Carolina’s children ahead of contentious midterm elections across the country. These manufactured partisan fights exploit ignorance and fear, which censorship only serves to stoke.

“As anti-LGBTQ campaigns and rhetoric increase, so do the mental and physical harms suffered by community members. LGBTQ youth are already more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers. Tragically, 2021 was the deadliest year in history for transgender people in the United States. Politically-motivated bills like HB 755 only worsen conditions for students who are already vulnerable.

“HB 755 is also an example of government interference in students’ education. We know that a well-funded, equitable public education system will help us raise the next generation of North Carolinians to be secure in their ability to think critically, respect themselves and others, and support the basic humanity of their peers regardless of race, gender or religion.

“We have successfully fought against attempts to ban books that center LGBTQ issues and voices. We will continue to fight to make sure that every child in North Carolina has access to a safe, inclusive and comprehensive education, free from discrimination.”