RALEIGH – On Tuesday, members of the North Carolina Senate introduced SB49 Parents Bill of Rights. The bill would do many things, but, among them include:
Prohibit teaching curriculum including gender identity and sexual orientation in kindergarten – 4th grade. This can extend into the conversations students and educators have in the classroom, books and lesson plans, and the media.
Prohibit a healthcare provider (including social workers!) from providing, soliciting, or arranging treatment for a minor child without first obtaining written consent from that minor child's parent. This means that providing LGBTQ affirming care, such as mental health care, to queer and trans students could cause providers to incur a $5,000 fine for violating this law.
Parents already have rights to make decisions about their students’ healthcare; this bill makes it more difficult for healthcare professionals to offer gender-affirming care by threatening them with fines and encourages parents to distrust healthcare providers.
Just as the bill places an undue burden on teachers with documentation requirements, the bill places an undue burden on healthcare professionals by forcing them to jump through unnecessary hoops to provide care to students. Parents already have rights to make decisions about their children’s healthcare, and this bill creates additional steps for providing important healthcare services in the name of “parental consent.”
Anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ bills harm the mental health of queer and trans youth. With the prevalence of suicidal ideation trending upward among LGBTQ young people over the last three years, bills like SB49 have life or death consequences.
Our position is clear: Limiting the ability for students to seek out and have safe spaces and support has the potential to
cause direct mental and physical harm to LGBTQ+ individuals. Requiring school staff (including social workers) to potentially out students is unconscionable. And limiting the ability of social workers (and other healthcare providers) to
do their job and subjecting them to fines and disciplinary action for supporting students sets a dangerous precedent that may require a social worker to violate the Code of Ethics in order to follow this law. Click here to send a message to your Senator!
Our representatives need to be told clearly, this bill is harmful and not helpful. Tell your representatives that schools are supposed to be safe and welcoming for all students. Legislators should be focusing on the how to reverse the decline of student mental health, increased anxiety and suicidal ideations and funding mental health supports in schools. Email your North Carolina Senator here.
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