School Counselors Worry over the 'Don't Say Gay' bill

School counselors have major concerns over the 'Don't Say Gay' bill. They fear that questioning students will lose one of their only places to go for support.
USA Today reports:

"We have a lot of students who are kind of coming to terms with who they are, whether it's sexual orientation-related or not," said Leigh Bagwell, coordinator of school counseling services for Metro Nashville Public Schools. "I think you'd be hard pressed to find a counselor that hasn't dealt with that at one time or another."


Counselors wonder if the bill, for example, would ban:


• Suicide prevention posters that reference sexual orientation.


• Gay teachers from displaying or discussing photos of their partners.


• Discussions of sexuality with parents who ask about their children.


• Thoughtful exploration of episodes in which students are targeted with homosexual epithets.

Brad Palmertree, a spokesman for the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, also wonders how his organization would support students who might be bullied about their perceived sexual orientation.

"I think we would be limited in our resources," said Bagwell, whose group offers training to counselors.

This bill was never a well thought out plan. It was set from the start to be problematic. I wish these foolish people would realize how harmful this bill really is.