Republicans hoping to pass a "don't say gay" bill that would among other things ban gay-straight alliances are about to face some stiff competition.
The Riverfront Times out of St. Louis reports that a coalition of lawmakers, teachers and doctors are rallying to defeat the disgusting measure:
This week the Missouri National Educators Association, the state's largest teachers organization, blasted the bill, stating: "[L]egislation like the "Don't Say Gay" bill, proposed by Representative Steve Cookson shackles educator's efforts to prevent bullying in our public schools."
"Schools, above all, need to be safe havens for students – places where students can learn and realize their full potential," reiterated MNEA President Chris Guinther in a statement. "MNEA members realized a decade ago the need for a comprehensive program to counter the bullying culture in public schools in Missouri. That's when we invested in developing the No More Bullying program."Yesterday the Missouri Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics also issued a public statement, saying: "…All children and teenagers need to feel safe in their schools, and HB 2051 takes that assurance away from them."
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Meanwhile, some 37 Democratic members of the House have called on the 20 Republican sponsors of the bill (including John Diehl of Town & Country and Tim Jones of Eureka) to withdraw their support of the measure.
State Rep. Stacey Newman told the paper that "public outrage has shown us that we are not doing enough to protect all students in schools."
