Given the high number of LGBTQIA+ identifying people that are autistic, it’s important to track the current movement in several US states that seemingly seeks to enforce an identity binary. Myself being non-binary, I look to these laws with disdain and am thankful that I’m in a location that isn’t subjecting itself to such madness.
Nevertheless, I wouldn’t have expected New Jersey to get involved.
The article from LGBTQ Nation discusses a policy recently passed by the Board of Education in Hanover Township, New Jersey, which requires school staff to inform parents about their children's sexual orientation. This policy equates being LGBTQ+ with substance and alcohol use, firearms, and "unlawful activity" as a threat to students' well-being. The state's attorney general is suing in response to this policy.
The policy is being criticized for potentially criminalizing sexual orientation and gender identity and targeting students based on their LGBTQ+ status. The NJ attorney general's office argues that the policy violates the state's Law Against Discrimination, which protects sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. The policy is also criticized for potentially putting students' safety and mental health at risk and going against the guidance from the NJ Department of Education, which protects students' confidentiality and privacy.
The Hanover Township board, however, argues that the policy is meant to involve parents in their children's lives and does not target students based on a protected status. They believe that parents need to be fully informed of all material issues that could impact their children so they can provide proper care and support.
The article concludes by noting that the attorney general, along with the Director of the Division on Civil Rights, has filed an emergency motion in Superior Court to enjoin the new policy.
The policing of queer students
The policing of queer students
The policing of queer students
Given the high number of LGBTQIA+ identifying people that are autistic, it’s important to track the current movement in several US states that seemingly seeks to enforce an identity binary. Myself being non-binary, I look to these laws with disdain and am thankful that I’m in a location that isn’t subjecting itself to such madness.
Nevertheless, I wouldn’t have expected New Jersey to get involved.
The article from LGBTQ Nation discusses a policy recently passed by the Board of Education in Hanover Township, New Jersey, which requires school staff to inform parents about their children's sexual orientation. This policy equates being LGBTQ+ with substance and alcohol use, firearms, and "unlawful activity" as a threat to students' well-being. The state's attorney general is suing in response to this policy.
The policy is being criticized for potentially criminalizing sexual orientation and gender identity and targeting students based on their LGBTQ+ status. The NJ attorney general's office argues that the policy violates the state's Law Against Discrimination, which protects sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. The policy is also criticized for potentially putting students' safety and mental health at risk and going against the guidance from the NJ Department of Education, which protects students' confidentiality and privacy.
The Hanover Township board, however, argues that the policy is meant to involve parents in their children's lives and does not target students based on a protected status. They believe that parents need to be fully informed of all material issues that could impact their children so they can provide proper care and support.
The article concludes by noting that the attorney general, along with the Director of the Division on Civil Rights, has filed an emergency motion in Superior Court to enjoin the new policy.
So much for the “land of the free.”