An Alabama Senate committee on
Wednesday approved a bill that seeks to strike a sex education
requirement to teach students that same-sex relationships are
socially unacceptable and illegal.
According to the
AP, a 1992 law that sets requirements for sex education in
Alabama's public schools states that programs should put “an
emphasis, in a factual manner and from a public health perspective,
that homosexuality is not a lifestyle acceptable to the general
public and that homosexual conduct is a criminal offense under the
laws of this state.”
The bill cleared the Senate Education
Policy Committee on Wednesday. It now heads to the Alabama Senate.
The bill is sponsored by Senator Tom
Whatley, a Republican from Auburn.
“It clears up some of the language in
the act right now that declares homosexuality a criminal offense,”
Whatley said. “It also changes some of the language to be
medically accurate.”
The Supreme Court in 2003 struck down
state anti-sodomy laws, including Alabama's law, which made gay sex a
criminal offense in the state.
Such laws are often called
“no-promo-homo” laws. According to the Human Rights Campaign
(HRC), seven states restrict positive portrayals of same-sex
relationships in health classes.
Previous attempts in Alabama to strike
the anti-gay language have failed.