LGBTQ, Students of Color Feel Less Welcome under New US State Laws
2023-06-14
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1Lawmakers in several U.S. states have passed limits on discussions of race, gender and sexuality in classrooms.
2Some students say the measures targeting parts of their identity have made them feel less welcome in American schools.
3The first time Tennessee student Harmony Kennedy remembered experiencing racism was in elementary school.
4On a playground, a girl picked up a leaf and said she wanted to "clean the dirt" from Harmony's skin.
5In 2021, Tennessee started passing legislation that could limit the discussion and teaching of Black history, gender identity and race in the classroom.
6To Harmony, the law's possible effects are crushing.
7"When I heard they were removing African American history, banning LGBTQ, I almost started crying," said Harmony, who is 16. LGBTQ is short for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer.
8Conservative leaders in some states have strongly pushed for the new restrictions.
9Those lawmakers say the restrictions are necessary to fight against liberal ideas in schools.
10Activists and school boards have pushed for such moves, too.
11They say teachers need more oversight to make sure learning materials are appropriate.
12Books have been removed from some school libraries.
13Some schools have continued call transgender students by the name they had before they changed to a different gender.
14Some teachers are worried of breaking new rules.
15As a result, they have avoided discussions related to race, gender and other divisive issues.
16Leo Burchell goes to a school outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
17In late 2020, during the pandemic school closures, he started using different pronouns.
18He started wearing different clothes.
19He cut his hair shorter, too. The changes, he said, felt right.
20First he asked teachers to use they/them pronouns instead of she/her.
21Then he asked that they use he/him pronouns when talking to him.
22"I changed my name to Leo, and for a while it was tough," he said.
23"I told the people close to me, but I wasn't ready to come out to everybody yet..."
24Leo's school is part of the Central Bucks School District.
25Over the last year, the board has barred employees from using students' chosen names or pronouns without parental permission.
26The board passed what it called a "neutrality" policy.
27The policy is meant to prevent social and political advocacy in classrooms.
28But opponents say the measure targets LGBTQ students.
29One man told the school board in a meeting that transgender people presented a risk of violence in bathrooms.
30Leo expected another adult in the room to intervene in what felt to him like hate speech.
31But no one did.
32So, at the next board meeting, Leo spoke up.
33"Attacking students based on who they are or who they love is wrong," he said.
34Leo has spoken up at other meetings since then.
35Leo said he worries about what school will be like for younger transgender students.
36"It really just breaks my heart to know that some of my friends, you know, might not want to go to school anymore," he said.
37In Harmony's freshman-year English class, a boy started playing with his face mask and joked, "I can't breathe, just like George Floyd," Harmony remembered.
38Floyd, a Black man, was murdered in 2020 by policeman in Minnesota.
39His death led to nationwide and worldwide protests.
40Harmony told her teacher, who said she was sorry it happened but there was not much she could do.
41Harmony said the incident was a reminder of why it is important to teach a full version of American history.
42A law passed by Tennessee in 2021 banned schools from teaching several ideas on race and racism.
43Because of the law, many teachers now avoid discussions related to race.
44After the incident, Harmony decided to join the Forward Club.
45The group works to support cultural and racial inclusion at her mostly white high school.
46The club's members come from diverse backgrounds.
47At times, students who speak out against new policies have been targeted.
48In Williamson County, Tennessee, where Harmony goes to school, a political action committee (PAC) accused another high school's Black student union of promoting segregation.
49The PAC posted the time and place of the student group's meeting on social media.
50Elsewhere, transgender students who have spoken up about bullying have faced insults on social media.
51Harmony said she has had to go outside of school to learn about Black culture and history.
52Her experience in high school has led her to want to attend a historically Black college.
53Harmony said she wants to be able to go to school like any other teenager and focus on learning.
54But she said she will continue to speak out for what she believes in.
55"My sister is going to be an incoming freshman this year," she said, "and I want her to have a safe learning environment where she doesn't have to really deal with all the ignorance and things."
56I'm Dan Friedell.
57And I'm Dan Novak.
1Lawmakers in several U.S. states have passed limits on discussions of race, gender and sexuality in classrooms. Some students say the measures targeting parts of their identity have made them feel less welcome in American schools. 2The first time Tennessee student Harmony Kennedy remembered experiencing racism was in elementary school. On a playground, a girl picked up a leaf and said she wanted to "clean the dirt" from Harmony's skin. 3In 2021, Tennessee started passing legislation that could limit the discussion and teaching of Black history, gender identity and race in the classroom. To Harmony, the law's possible effects are crushing. 4"When I heard they were removing African American history, banning LGBTQ, I almost started crying," said Harmony, who is 16. LGBTQ is short for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer. 5Conservative leaders in some states have strongly pushed for the new restrictions. Those lawmakers say the restrictions are necessary to fight against liberal ideas in schools. Activists and school boards have pushed for such moves, too. They say teachers need more oversight to make sure learning materials are appropriate. 6Books have been removed from some school libraries. Some schools have continued call transgender students by the name they had before they changed to a different gender. 7Some teachers are worried of breaking new rules. As a result, they have avoided discussions related to race, gender and other divisive issues. 8'Neutrality' policy impacts 9Leo Burchell goes to a school outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In late 2020, during the pandemic school closures, he started using different pronouns. He started wearing different clothes. He cut his hair shorter, too. The changes, he said, felt right. 10First he asked teachers to use they/them pronouns instead of she/her. Then he asked that they use he/him pronouns when talking to him. 11"I changed my name to Leo, and for a while it was tough," he said. "I told the people close to me, but I wasn't ready to come out to everybody yet..." 12Leo's school is part of the Central Bucks School District. Over the last year, the board has barred employees from using students' chosen names or pronouns without parental permission. 13The board passed what it called a "neutrality" policy. The policy is meant to prevent social and political advocacy in classrooms. But opponents say the measure targets LGBTQ students. 14One man told the school board in a meeting that transgender people presented a risk of violence in bathrooms. Leo expected another adult in the room to intervene in what felt to him like hate speech. But no one did. 15So, at the next board meeting, Leo spoke up. "Attacking students based on who they are or who they love is wrong," he said. Leo has spoken up at other meetings since then. 16Leo said he worries about what school will be like for younger transgender students. 17"It really just breaks my heart to know that some of my friends, you know, might not want to go to school anymore," he said. 18Students face backlash after speaking up 19In Harmony's freshman-year English class, a boy started playing with his face mask and joked, "I can't breathe, just like George Floyd," Harmony remembered. Floyd, a Black man, was murdered in 2020 by policeman in Minnesota. His death led to nationwide and worldwide protests. 20Harmony told her teacher, who said she was sorry it happened but there was not much she could do. 21Harmony said the incident was a reminder of why it is important to teach a full version of American history. A law passed by Tennessee in 2021 banned schools from teaching several ideas on race and racism. Because of the law, many teachers now avoid discussions related to race. 22After the incident, Harmony decided to join the Forward Club. The group works to support cultural and racial inclusion at her mostly white high school. The club's members come from diverse backgrounds. 23At times, students who speak out against new policies have been targeted. In Williamson County, Tennessee, where Harmony goes to school, a political action committee (PAC) accused another high school's Black student union of promoting segregation. The PAC posted the time and place of the student group's meeting on social media. Elsewhere, transgender students who have spoken up about bullying have faced insults on social media. 24Harmony said she has had to go outside of school to learn about Black culture and history. Her experience in high school has led her to want to attend a historically Black college. 25Harmony said she wants to be able to go to school like any other teenager and focus on learning. But she said she will continue to speak out for what she believes in. 26"My sister is going to be an incoming freshman this year," she said, "and I want her to have a safe learning environment where she doesn't have to really deal with all the ignorance and things." 27I'm Dan Friedell. 28And I'm Dan Novak. 29Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press. 30_____________________________________________________________________ 31Words in This Story 32gender - n. a person's own sense of being male, female, some combination of male and female, or neither male nor female 33oversight - n. a mistake made because someone forgets or fails to notice something 34appropriate - adj. right or suited for some purpose or situation 35transgender - adj. of or relating to people who feel that their true nature is as a member of the opposite sex 36pronoun - n. a word such as I, he, she, you, it, we, or they that is used instead of a noun or noun phrase 37tough - adj. very difficult to do or deal with 38advocacy - n. the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal 39diverse - adj. different from each other 40segregation - n. the practice or policy of keeping people of different races, religions, etc., separate from each other 41bully - v. to frighten, hurt, or threaten 42ignorance - n. a lack of knowledge, understanding, or education