An Arizona House panel voted Tuesday to make it illegal for a government employee to withhold information that is relevant to the physical, emotional or mental health of a child.
HB 2161 raised concern for teachers as it goes as far to include conversations of a child’s purported gender identity or requests to transition to an identity that is incongruous with the student’s biological sex. Bill sponsor Rep. Steve Kaiser says if a student’s conversation doesn’t rise to the position of abuse, then it should be reported to parents.
“That's not their job. Their job is to teach my son reading, writing and math. Their job is not to console my son. That's to let me know so I can coach my son and console my son," Kaiser said.
Rep. Daniel Hernandez from Tucson says LGBTQ youth often get more support from schools than at home. Up to 40 percent of homeless youth are LGBTQ, often due to factors of family rejection, abuse and discrimination.
