An Arizona GOP lawmaker introduced legislation that would require schools to notify parents if their child starts using pronouns that do not match their biological sex, despite a similar bill being vetoed last year.
Senate Bill 1166 would require parents to be notified no more than five days after their child starts using a pronoun different from their biological sex or if their child starts using a name that is not their legal first, middle, or a commonly used nickname. The legislation, which would only apply to students under 18, would also bar schools, school districts, and charter schools from forcing employees or independent contractors to use a student’s preferred pronouns if it is “contrary to the employees or independent contractor’s religious or moral convictions.”
Republican state Sen. John Kavanagh, who is sponsoring the proposal, told the Center Square he tried to pass a similar bill last year before it was rejected by Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ).
“Now, I ran this bill originally last year where it would’ve required parental permission to use a pronoun other than that aligned with the gender at birth,” Kavanagh said. “The governor vetoed that, so this year I’m coming back and saying, ‘Well, OK, maybe you’ll respect the parents’ right to know and require that.'”
Kavanagh said the purpose of the bill is to force schools to be transparent and keep parents informed about their children.
“As politicians around the country continue to pass harmful legislation directed at transgender youth, I have a clear message to the people of Arizona: I will veto every bill that aims to attack and harm children,” Hobbs wrote in her veto letter, condemning Kavanagh’s previous legislation.
While some critics believe alerting parents to their child’s pronoun changes, say it could result in safety issues for the students of parents who are not accepting of their child’s identity, Kavanagh told the outlet that it is more harmful to keep parents, who could help their children struggling with gender dysphoria, in the dark.
Hobbs set a record last year for most vetoes by an Arizona governor at 143. Of the bills she struck down, all were sponsored by Republicans, with Kavanagh racking up the most vetoed bills, Arizona Capitol Times reported.
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“I would never run the same bill after it was vetoed; that doesn’t make any sense, but there are a couple of bills which I think I can make modifications to, like the school pronoun bill and the school shower bathroom bill, that would make it possibly more acceptable,” the senator said last year.
The Arizona State Senate Education Committee is set to consider SB 1166 at a hearing Wednesday.
