If you’re a politician trying to introduce a bill, you better be good at defending it and explaining the ramifications once it’s signed and approved. But it seems like one GOP member, Ann Kelley from Missouri struggled to do so when asked about this new anti-LGBTQ+ education bill and how it would work in classrooms.
Missouri’s State Representative, Phil Christofanelli questioned Kelley about the education bill that she introduced back in late Feb. 2023. According to Yahoo News, this bill would prohibit teachings of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools and was seen as more restrictive than Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
The Republican State rep challenged Kelley to justify her bill using Martha Washington as an example. Kelley was asked “how could you mention that Martha Washington was George’s wife in a classroom under this new bill,” since it was written to restrict discussions of sexual orientation.
Kelley argued that saying “someone is your wife” is “not sexual orientation,” which got Christofanelli questioning her even more by asking her that it’s only “certain sexual orientations” that would be limited or restricted in classrooms.
What’s even more interesting about this hearing was that Kelley asked Christofanelli if “he has language to make that better,” meaning if he has a solution or suggestions to improve on the bill’s wording. Only for Christofanelli to respond that she was the one who introduced the bill and that he didn’t write it. All he’s doing is asking her questions about how it will affect classrooms in the state.
He then went on to argue that Kelley is imposing her beliefs onto the teachers and young students when she argued that “she didn’t want teacher’s personal beliefs to enter classrooms.” When she was asked one more time how one could say “Martha Washington is George Washington’s wife” in a classroom, there was silence and Kelley responded with “I don’t know.”
For someone who wants to introduce an educational bill, or any type of legislation for that matter, you better know how to argue and defend it when questioned. Especially when you’re facing your own party members. And it’s understandable why this bill is being questioned in Missouri.
When the “Don’t Say Gay” bill was passed in Florida, teachers were worried about what to say in classrooms due to fears of getting into trouble. The bill also allowed parents could sue the school district if they believe their child is being taught sexual orientation and gender identity in the classrooms.
It’s currently unknown what will happen to this proposed bill, especially due to how poorly Kelley was able to defend it. But it won’t be likely that the bill would pass into law any time soon.
