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Bill That Would Out LGBTQ+ Students to Parents Gets Third Hearing

Here are 12 memorable quotes from this third hearing to force teachers and school staff to out LGBTQ+ students.

Apr 26, 2023 at 10:57 am

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Photo: Screengrab from The Ohio Channel

Beau Eaton is a proponent of HB 8. Eaton is from the Opportunity Solutions Project, a branch of the ultra-right-wing Foundation for Government Accountability.

This analysis was originally published by The Buckeye Flame and republished here with permission.

A third hearing was held on Tuesday, April 25 at the Ohio Statehouse for House Bill 8, the Parents’ Bill of Rights.

If passed, the bill would force all teachers and school staff — including social workers and school counselors — to out LGBTQ+ students to their parents.

According to the bill’s language, schools must “notify a student’s parent of any change in the student’s services or monitoring related to the student’s mental, emotional or physical health or well-being.”

At a different hearing last week, the bill was amended to add “counseling services,” now requiring parental notification of anything a student shares during counseling sessions.

Tuesday’s hearing was proponent testimony: those testifying in support of the bill. Though the bill never mentioned sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, all four witnesses used LGBTQ+ identity as the basis for why HB 8 is necessary.

Here are 12 of the most memorable quotes from this third hearing.

1. “I don’t know the answer to that, whether it’s fair or not.”

—Beau Eaton, from the Opportunity Solutions Project, a branch of the ultra-right-wing Foundation for Government Accountability. This is her answer to Rep. Phillip Robinson (D-Solon) who asked why this bill isn’t requiring the same notification for parents of students in private, faith-based schools.

2. “The National Education Association, along with the Ohio Educators Association and groups that claim to support LGBTQ students, have decided and convinced many people that we as parents do not have the right to raise our children with our values.

—Lisa Breedlove Chaffee, director of Parents Rights In Education for Ohio. Chaffee is currently a plaintiff in a lawsuit against Hilliard School District to demand that the school out LGBTQ+ students to parents. She lost her race for a seat on the school board in 2021.

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Photo: Screengrab from The Ohio Channel

Lisa Breedlove Chaffee is currently a plaintiff in a lawsuit against Hilliard School District to demand that the school out LGBTQ+ students to parents.

3. “We do not co-parent with the government.”

—Chaffee, who was present and holding a supportive sign during the introduction of HB 68. That bill would allow the government to tell parents they have no right to determine the medical care of their trans children.

4. “What I can tell you is what I see on social media.”

—Chaffee, Responding to Rep. Joseph Miller (D-Lorain) about whether she had any research to back up her claims.

5. “Parents are the parents, not the schools.”

—Rep. Gary Click (R-Vickery), the sponsor of HB 68, which…see above.

6. “I didn’t know my son in 8th grade was talking to a school counselor.”

—Chaffee, highlighting that there are parents to whom students are not always comfortable divulging what they are experiencing.

7. “There are drag shows with adults lap-dancing on minors.”

—Joel Miller, a chemist. This was part of Miller’s unsubstantiated evidence of why parental notification in schools was needed. Miller began his testimony with a tirade against masks during COVID before Chairman Adam Bird stopped him to tell him to focus on the bill at hand.

click to enlarge

Photo: Screengrab from The Ohio Channel

Joel Miller, a chemist, began his testimony in favor of the bill that would out LGBTQ+ youth with a tirade against masks during COVID.

8. “All children will be gender-confused in about 10 years.”

—Joel Miller, providing more … evidence.

9. “Faith is the solution.”

—Joel Miller, providing the answer to society’s issues.

10. “I believe in equality, not equity.”

—Joel Miller, making his views plain.

11. “Student C to Parent C later: I am supposed to lie to our neighbor, Bill’s mom, and call Bill “Betty” at school but “Bill” when Bill’s mom is around. What if I forget?”

—Tricia Bhat, a family physician, providing this bewildering example of a scenario that HB 8 supposedly would help solve.

12. “This bill is a solution looking for a problem.”

—Sean Brennan (D-Parma), an award-winning public school teacher for three decades, speaking out against this bill.