If Tennessee's controversial 'Don't Say Gay' bill passes through the state legislature, teachers will have to report any 'suspect' LGBT activities of a child to his or her parents. Generally, any signs of a child being abused, depressed or suicidal must be reported by a teacher to parents and/or higher authorities. According to Tennessee, then, being gay is so abnormal, it must be reported so that such behavior can be thwarted. To add insult to injury, the proposed bill also states that,
At grade levels pre-K through eight (pre-K-8), any such classroom instruction, course materials or other informational resources that are inconsistent with natural human reproduction shall be classified as inappropriate for the intended student audience and, therefore, shall be prohibited.
This Tennessee bill, coupled with the recent Boy Scout debate seem to be part of a disturbing trend. While equality battles up until now have been about LGBT rights for adults, the debate has now shifted to a point where children are becoming collateral damage.
