UPDATE: Senate File 117 was not considered for introduction in the House. The bill is dead.
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Senate File 117 would ban classroom discussions related to sexual orientation and gender identity in Wyoming’s public schools.
The ACLU of Wyoming opposes Senate File 117. The government censorship bill, which closely mirrors Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill that was signed into law last year and is currently being challenged in federal court, would silence students from speaking about their LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit family members, friends and neighbors and would create costly new liabilities for school districts. Under the bill, any parent who thinks that a classroom discussion was inappropriate or who is unsupportive of a district's policies would be given broad powers to sue for damages and attorneys’ fees.
Additionally, the overly broad language of Senate File 117 could create dangerous confusion about what teachers, staff and students are allowed to say and study in school. It will limit teachers’ ability to give students the education and support they need, and it will foster an information vacuum that further endangers already-vulnerable young people.
