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<\/div>\nSome Wyoming teachers could soon be forbidden from talking about sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom. <\/span>A bill passed in the Senate on Friday<\/a> which <\/span>prohibits teachers from focusing on these topics in kindergarten through third grade.<\/span><\/p>\n Supporters say the bill is intended to protect parental rights, but critics \u2014 such as Wilson resident Karyn Chin \u2014 call it discriminatory.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI do not feel like I\u2019m being protected or that my daughter is being protected by this bill,\u201d said Chin, who serves on KHOL\u2019s Community Advisory Board.<\/span><\/p>\n Chin identifies as a queer woman and is concerned her first-grader won\u2019t be able to talk about her family at school.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt is essentially impossible for my daughter or anyone else trying to explain our family to do that without even some instruction on gender and sexual orientation,\u201d Chin said.<\/span><\/p>\n The bill closely resembles <\/span>Florida\u2019s \u201cDon\u2019t Say Gay\u201d law<\/span><\/a>, which passed last year. The Wyoming version has seen support from groups such as the Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne and the Laramie County chapter of Moms for Liberty \u2014 a national campaign to <\/span>ban books about LGBTQ+ issues<\/span><\/a> and race in school libraries.<\/span><\/p>\n Members of the Wyoming Education Association have <\/span>spoken out against the bill<\/span><\/a>, saying it stigmatizes queer identities.<\/span><\/p>\n Sen. Dan Dockstader, who represents part of Teton County, is sponsoring the legislation and didn\u2019t respond to a request to comment.<\/span><\/p>\n The bill passed in the state Senate 18-12 and will now be introduced in the House. <\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s just one of a <\/span>handful of bills<\/span><\/a> that advocates of LGBTQ+ rights say raise red flags. This includes one that could criminalize gender-affirming care for youth<\/a> and another that could limit transgender students\u2019 participation in sports.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n <\/span> <\/p>\n