ATLANTA — A bill in the state senate would restrict how schools and teachers interact with transgender children. One critic calls the bill "a dog whistle to the far right."
The Republican bill would guide schools on what they can and can’t do when communicating with kids exploring gender identity.
Senate Bill 88 would prevent schools from recognizing a transitioned gender unless the gender is changed on a birth certificate. It would also restrict teachers from discussing gender identity with students unless the parents sign off on it first.
"What is it that they’re getting at?" asked Jen Slipakoff, the mother of a transgender teen.
She believes that schools can be safe spaces for transgender kids who have difficulty being accepted at home. The Senate bill, she said, would only add to their challenges.
"Needing permission? Needing signatures? Needing a birth certificate? Enough," Slipakoff said.
She said gender identity could add psychological roadblocks to education. Restricting those discussions, she said, makes it worse.
The bill's sponsor, state Sen. Carden Summers (R-Cordele), did not respond to requests for comment Friday.
"Students' biological gender is determined by birth certificate," state Sen. Marty Harbin (R-Tyrone) told the state Senate in February 2022, introducing a bill to restrict the participation of transgender kids in school sports. The measure passed the Senate on a party-line vote. The House never voted on it.
Democrats said Republicans were oversimplifying a complicated issue. Slipakoff said it's happening again with SB88.
"I don’t understand. It just seems a very haphazard. 'Let’s use a bunch of buzzwords,'" Slipakoff said. "To me it just seems like a dog whistle to the far right."
The bill will get assigned to a state senate committee Monday.