A legislative fight is brewing in Alaska over a new bill from Gov. Dunleavy that he says will protect parental rights. LGBTQ advocates say it's the latest chapter in the state’s history of discrimination.
Denying that the bill would target gender non-conforming youth “or any other group,” DunleavyBut Shortell said that parents’ rights have been usedby conservative groups “as the vehicle for their extreme anti-LGBTQ agenda. So denying it is pretty useless.”
The segment of the bill that requires schools to notify parents of their right to sue schools, Shortell said, is part of an effort to bring forward legal cases that can “counteract the legal gains we’ve made in the courts for LGBTQ rights.” Those cases, she said, can reach federal courts stacked with conservative judges who could then invalidate protections put in place by schools for vulnerable students.
“Gov. Dunleavy along with Gov. DeSantis and many other states are advancing this kind of legislation,” said Minnery, adding that he spoke with Dunleavy about the measures in the bill before it was proposed and intends to push for its passage.
Rep. Cliff Groh, an Anchorage Democrat and former Alaska prosecutor, said most child abuse cases in the state involve either parents or people with parental authority. That makes education for young children related to abuse awareness and identifying “bad touch” critical.
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