Bill to eliminate discrimination against LGBTQ+ Hoosiers should … – Indiana Capital Chronicle
There is no place for discrimination in Indiana, which is why Shelly’s Voice Advocacy is very excited to announce that we have officially filed legislation in the state of Indiana.
Our bill is called the Equal Educational Opportunities Act and aims to extend specific anti-discrimination educational rights statutes to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
This bill was originally introduced in 2020 by Sen. J.D. Ford, D-Indianapolis, but died without receiving a hearing or vote by the Republican supermajority.
This year’s legislation is also being brought by Ford in the session set to begin Monday. It is Senate Bill 39 and can be found online here.
We are hopeful that this slightly amended bill will be more likely to get a hearing. The 2023 legislative session is one in which lawmakers are voting on the budget. That means pieces of legislation with no fiscal impact have better chances. Fortunately Ford was able to get that stamp for our bill, which increases the likelihood that our bill will be able to get a hearing.
The passage of our legislation would be a huge win for LGBTQ+ people in the state of Indiana especially our youth!
It is deeply rooted in our mission at Shelly’s Voice that all LGBTQ+ youth are deserving of equal opportunities and passing this bill will help us get closer to achieving our goal of making all spaces safe for LGBTQ+ people.
Putting in the work
Our leadership has reached out to every single member of the Senate Education Committee for a meeting and unfortunately we have not been able to get a meeting with the chairman, ranking member — both Republicans — or other members of the committee.
Last year during the 2022 legislative session Shelly’s Voice Advocacy leadership worked very closely with the ACLU of Indiana, Indiana Youth Group, Gender Nexus, IndyPride and so many other LGBTQ+ non-profit organizations on testimony and events in response to House Bill 1041. The measure initially aimed to ban transgender girls at all levels, including college, from playing sports girls sports teams. It was introduced by Rep. Michelle Davis, R-Whiteland. HB1041 was amended shortly after its introduction to exclude collegiate athletes.
Our organization’s leadership spoke out against this hateful legislation many times including at the House Education Committee’s hearing of the bill, the Senate Education Committee’s hearing of the bill, and even the “let kids play” event sponsored by the ACLU of Indiana and Play Works Indy. Shelly’s Voice plans to continue to amplify LGBTQ+ voices during the next legislative season, specifically against bills that threaten our rights.
Unfortunately in mid-December, the news broke that Indiana legislators are planning on introducing a bill with similar language to a “Don’t Say Gay” law in Florida. We are incredibly disappointed in our state legislators for prioritizing a bill like this but our team will speak out against this legislation at every opportunity we have, including at the Statehouse in the next few months!
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