TOW #14 - Proposed Bill Would Make Teachers out Their LGBT Students by Alex Zielinski

On November 20^th 2016, Trans Day of Remembrance, Senator Konni Burton introduced an anti-LGBTQ bill. The bill would legally require public schools to give parents ‘any general knowledge regarding the parent’s child possessed by an employee of the district’ and records ‘relating to the child’s general physical, psychological or emotional well-being’. From that quick summary the bill sounds pretty harmless. However, Burton made a statement regarding Fort Worth school district banning their staff members from telling parents about their child’s transgender status, he explicitly declared that this bill was a direct response to the event. Burton said that her bill’s purpose is to protect a parent’s ‘right to know’ or ‘right to matter’ in their child’s life.  

            Alex Zielinski, long time writer for the San Antonio Current, goes in depth about the negative effects the bill will have on LGBTQ students in Texas if it gets passed. He mentions how when a closeted LGBTQ student comes out to a counselor or teacher that a lot of trust must’ve been built for that to happen. Zielinski says that if the bill were to be passed LGBTQ student would begin to feel even more alone because they wouldn’t have anyone they could trust or confide in. As a queer woman who was in the closet for quite some time, I can contest to it being a very lonely place. Personally for me the first time I trusted someone with the secret of my sexuality I felt pretty liberated and not as alone.

            Zielinski then goes on to accuse Burton of promoting abusive parenting. He generalizes Texas a little bit by characterizing them as homophobic, transphobic and in support of conversion therapy with his explanation. Zielinski brings up the fact that most of today’s homeless youth population identifies within the LGBTQ community. He claims that this bill could potentially make this population even bigger by outing students.

            Zielinski’s purpose is to bring awareness to the bill that people in states other than Texas might not have been aware about. He wants to evoke in them the feeling of anger; he wants them to get so angry that they actually do something about it. I think that Zielinski is pretty successful because in the comments of the article someone posted a link to a petition that could be very helpful in stopping the bill.