Nevada’s steps to support the LGBTQ+ community – A Ray of Hope?

In the past 4 days, several people have been commemorating Nevada’s recent decision to include LGBTQ+ history in their curriculum. Indeed, it is a progressive step to foster equality and to make young generations aware and accepting of LGBTQ+ members.

Governor Sisolak, who signed the bill at the Henderson Pride Festival, expressed, “It is so important that we bring these bills to the community, to this centre to help you understand how important this is.” He signed four other bills (SB109, SB237, SB275, SB325), calling them “very important pieces of legislation into the law.”

Senate Bill 109 calls for local governments to collect demographic data of the LGBTQ+ members. SB237 ensures that Nevada provides resources to support LGBTQ-owned businesses.

SB275 decriminalizes transmitting HIV. This legalisation comes in light of scientific studies that prove that such laws discourage testing. Finally, SB325 permits pharmacists to increase access to care for HIV patients.

Nevada isn’t the first state to have incorporated LGBTQ+ history in its curriculum; California, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey and Oregan have already done so in previous years.

California, which adopted this law in 2011, is ahead of the game. However, it is important to understand that due to backlash from some parents, conservative groups, and state officials, the implementation has been extremely slow – LGBT-inclusive textbooks weren’t approved in K-8 classrooms until 2017. As Dominic Le Fort, executive director of the California-based non-profit group Queer Education, puts it, “schools have been dragging their feet.”

What’s more striking is that some states, in fact, promote schools to portray the LGBTQ+ community in a negative and demeaning manner. For example, until early March of this year, Alabama’s law stated that when discussing sexual health education, "classes must emphasize, in a factual manner and from a health perspective, that homosexuality is not a lifestyle acceptable to the general public and that homosexual conduct is a criminal offence under the laws of the state."

Furthermore, according to GLSEN – an education group standing up for LGBT cultural inclusion and awareness in K-12 schools - some states even required teachers to speak about LGBT people in a negative light.

The impact of such measures can be treacherous. As the Human Rights Watch rightly points out, “Requiring teachers to peddle misinformation and stigma in schools not only leaves young people in the dark but also sends a dangerous and dehumanizing message that something is wrong with them.”

In summary, although Nevada has taken a propulsive step, the battle has not been won yet. Smooth and fast execution of the laws needs to be performed. Only time will tell if Nevada will emerge victorious in the implementation process.