'Copycat bills' like Florida sex ed. bill being considered in several state legislatures

WASHINGTON (TND) — Florida's sex education bill, dubbed by critics as the ‘Don't Say Gay’ bill, is stirring up controversy across the country as several other states are looking toward similar measures.

Kansas, Tennessee and Georgia are among those considering legislation like Florida's House Bill 1557 — officially titled Parental Rights in Education — banning classroom discussion about gender identity and sexual orientation for specific ages.

Gov. Ron Desantis is expected to sign the bill into law soon.

In Georgia, the Common Humanity in Private Education Act is co-sponsored by 10 Republican state senators. It states "no private or nonpublic school or program, shall promote, compel, or encourage classroom discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels or in a manner that is not appropriate for the age and developmental stage of the student."

Indiana's legislators are looking to prohibit any discussions of “sexual orientation,” “transgenderism” or “gender identity” in the classroom without permission from parents.

A bill in Tennessee would ban any instructional materials that “promote, normalize, support, or address lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) lifestyles” in public schools.

Another in Kansas would amend the state’s obscenity law to make classroom materials depicting homosexuality a misdemeanor.

Oklahoma's Students' Religious Belief Protection Act would ban schools from hiring anyone who "promotes positions in the classroom or at any function of the public school that is in opposition to closely held religious beliefs of students.”

Supporters say these proposals promote parental rights while LGBTQ advocates argue it's part of a nationwide effort to limit the rights of queer youth and their families.