Help stop a harmful bill that targets LGBTQ students

Senate Bill 49, a harmful anti-LGBTQ bill, is on the move in the North Carolina House and we need your help to stop it.

The bill has been framed as a “parents' bill of rights,” but in reality, it unfairly targets vulnerable LGBTQ children and contains several provisions that would hamstring school operations and harm broad swaths of students.

By inhibiting open and honest conversations about students' physical and mental health, this bill harms students, educators, and healthcare workers. It would exacerbate the mental health challenges LGBTQ youth already face, as a 2021 survey by the Trevor Project found that 45 percent of LGBTQ youth seriously considered suicide in the previous year. SB 49 would also impact students with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities, students dealing with trauma in the wake of the pandemic and recent high-profile school shootings and acts of violence, and students dealing with abuse and neglect at home.

The North Carolina Justice Center firmly believes in parental involvement in children's education and believes in parents' and students' rights. Most important among these is the constitutional right to a sound basic education as established in Art. IX, Sec.2 of the North Carolina constitution and the landmark Leandro litigation.

Unfortunately, SB 49 focuses on an entirely different conception of parents' rights that fails to provide meaningful opportunities to children while singling out the LGBTQ community. Contact your Representative today and urge them to stand against SB 49.

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Dear [elected official],

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As your constituent, I urge you to vote against SB 49.

Many of the “rights” enumerated in this bill are already established in state and federal law. Similarly, the bill’s prohibition of instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in the K-4 curriculum is redundant—sexual orientation and gender identity are not part of the K-4 curriculum. To the extent new “rights” are provided, they open new avenues for bad actors to tie up school district operations and resources by filing frivolous requests for information and objections to instructional materials.

The bill would also have a chilling effect on open and honest conversations between students and educators, particularly for the growing number of students dealing with mental health issues. It would unfairly target students who are members of the LGBTQ community and exacerbate the mental health crisis among LGBTQ youth.

We need fully funded public schools in North Carolina, not legislation that would hamstring school operations and hurt our students. Please vote no on SB 49.

Sincerely, [Your information here]