School counselors have major concerns over the 'Don't Say Gay' bill. They fear that questioning students will lose one of their only places to go for support.
USA Today reports:
"We have a lot of students who are kind of coming to terms with who they are, whether it's sexual orientation-related or not," said Leigh Bagwell, coordinator of school counseling services for Metro Nashville Public Schools. "I think you'd be hard pressed to find a counselor that hasn't dealt with that at one time or another."
Counselors wonder if the bill, for example, would ban:
• Suicide prevention posters that reference sexual orientation.
• Gay teachers from displaying or discussing photos of their partners.
• Discussions of sexuality with parents who ask about their children.
• Thoughtful exploration of episodes in which students are targeted with homosexual epithets.
Brad Palmertree, a spokesman for the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, also wonders how his organization would support students who might be bullied about their perceived sexual orientation.
This bill was never a well thought out plan. It was set from the start to be problematic. I wish these foolish people would realize how harmful this bill really is."I think we would be limited in our resources," said Bagwell, whose group offers training to counselors.
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