Originally published Feb. 16 on IdahoEdNews.org .House lawmakers Friday advanced a bill that would restrict the use of transgender students’ pronouns and grant legal protection to teachers who refuse to use students’ preferred pronouns.
Idaho teachers are facing pressure to recognize preferred pronouns “with fear of reprisal,” said bill sponsor Rep. Ted Hill. “Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined having a teenager dictate my speech,” Hill, R-Eagle, told the House State Affairs Committee.
House Bill 538 would:
Bar K-12 public school teachers from using a pronoun or name for an underage student that doesn’t align with their birth sex. (A parent or guardian could consent to referring to their child by a preferred pronoun or name.)Protect public employees, including school and college staff, from discipline if they refuse to use a pronoun that doesn’t align with an individual’s birth sex.Subject public employers, including school districts, colleges and universities, to civil liability and potential uncapped damages if they compel an employee to use a pronoun that doesn’t align with an individual’s birth sex