Parent urges Madison board to oppose state bills she says harm LGBTQ+ students

A Madison parent told the school board during public comment that several recently proposed or enacted Alabama bills threaten student safety and academic discussion and urged the Madison City Board of Education to oppose them publicly.

Maggie Minsk, a parent and former public high-school English teacher, told the board that House Bill 4 removes protections for librarians and teachers by exposing them to potential criminal charges over materials "deemed obscene," a term she called "so vague that it has already been weaponized against LGBTQ plus books and authors of color." She said House Bill 67 would "effectively ban anyone who doesn't conform to someone else's ideas of gender presentation from performing or even existing visibly in school or library spaces." She also cited Senate Bill 129, enacted recently, which she said restricts classroom discussions on race and gender inequalities.

Minsk said these laws force teachers to remove pride flags and other support signs and that while students can form a club for LGBTQ+ students, the club cannot act publicly. She asked the board to publicly oppose the bills and to support all students.

On the record, Minsk said: "In Alabama alone, 41 percent of transgender and non binary youth seriously considered suicide last year, and 11 percent attempted it. Please publicly oppose these bills, publicly support all of the students."

The board did not record a formal response to the public comment in the portion of the transcript covering immediate business items.