Governor Lee Protects Teachers’ Rights To Refuse To Use Preferred Pronouns Of Students

May 19, 2023 | Political News

Governor Bill Lee signed a new law on Wednesday that will protect teachers’ rights to choose not to refer to students by their preferred pronouns in place of the pronouns that match the student’s biological gender.

The bill, sponsored by Representative Mark Cochran in the House and Senator Paul Rose in the Senate, passed 72-22 in the House and 25-7 in the Senate. 

The legislation will keep teachers from facing civil lawsuits if they choose to refer to students only by the pronouns that align with the students’ assigned sex at birth. It also stipulates that teachers’ employment cannot be adversely affected by that decision.

School systems are also protected from lawsuits, according to the new law.