Media mention: Jones quoted about anti-LGBTQ bills aimed at silencing educators
Stephanie Jones, Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor, was quoted in a recent article in The Progressive Magazine about a wave of bills preventing the discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in schools.
She spoke about Florida’s Parental Rights Education Act, passed in March, which prevents teachers from discussing those topics in kindergarten through third grade classrooms. Jones, who previously taught first and second grade, said these topics have always been part of classroom discussions, including among younger students.
“Gender identity and sexuality are always a part of children’s lives inside schools,” she said. “And there is no way to get around that. This [bill] is more about silencing people who don’t fit into the cisgender heteronormativity expected by some people.”