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Yesterday we reported on the announcement that the Arizona AG’s office informed legislature that they would not be defending lawsuits against the state’s sexual education requirements that were discriminatory towards LGBTQ+ youth.

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey. Image Credit: Gage Skidmore, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

SB1346 Repeals Homophobic Education Statute

Shortly after yesterday’s post the Arizona House voted to repeal the offending legislation by a vote of 55-5. Today the state Senate followed suit with a vote of 19-10-1, and Governor Doug Ducey (R-AZ) just announced via twitter that he has signed the bill, eliminating what amounted to a ban on teaching about homosexuality in sexual education classes across the state.

 

SB1346 repeals a key section of Arizona Revised Statute 15-716(C), which previously stated that:

C. No district shall include in its course of study instruction which:

1. Promotes a homosexual life-style.

2. Portrays homosexuality as a positive alternative life-style.

3. Suggests that some methods of sex are safe methods of homosexual sex.

Repeal Signals Inclusive Shift in Arizona Politics

While several die-hard conservative legislators voted against the repeal, the move signals a shift in LGBTQ+ acceptance in the Arizona public school system that many have been clamoring for since the legislation was implemented in 1992. In a series of tweets following the announcement Arizona Superintendent of Schools Kathy Hoffman (D) applauded the repeal and says it “sends a signal to every student, teacher, and family in Arizona that they are welcome in our schools – regardless of who they are and who they love.”

 

Update: Repeal Supporters Hold Press Conference from AZ Capitol

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FOR INFERNAL USE ONLY Jack Matirko was raised in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, but it didn't take. His projects include The Left Hemispheres Podcast, The Naked Diner Podcast, and An Ongoing and...