Arizona Equality Official Website tracking the progress of the complaint
filed against the State of Arizona on January 6, 2014,
for Marriage Equality.

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Arizona Laws Stigmatize LGBT People in the Classroom

Arizona FlagArizona Needs Change

As of October 2014, there are only eight states * in the United States that will have stigmatizing and discriminatory laws on the books against LGBT people.

What Does The Law Say Today (October 2014)

Arizona mandates that “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.” AZ Rev. Stat. 15-716(c).

Efforts to Change The Law

In 2011 Arizona State Senators Sinema, Cajero Bedford: Gallardo, Jackson, Meza, and Reagan introduced SB 1457 which would have eliminated this stigmatizing language.  SB 1457 was introduced and sent to Committee where "No Action" was taken.

EDUCATION COMMITTEE

  • Rich Crandall, Chair (R-District 19) [1]
  • Sylvia Allen (R-District 5)
  • Nancy Barto (R-District 7)
  • Linda Lopez (D-District 29)
  • David Schapira (D-District 17)

Status in 2013

Afraid of Who You Are: No Promo Homo Laws in Public School Sex Education
Publication: Texas Journal of Women and the Law, Author: Leora Hoshall, Date Published: April 1, 2013

Abstract: This is an era when harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students is being addressed by public school systems throughout the country. Rarely, however, do educators or policy-makers acknowledge that LGBT discrimination may be legislated into public school curricula. This Article looks at No Promotion of Homosexuality provisions-known as "no promo homo" laws-as they exist in American public school sexual education. The laws of seven states (Alabama, Arizona, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah) are compared and contrasted, including discussion of lingering sodomy laws and analysis of attempts at repeal or amendment. Particular attention is given to the current state of the law in Texas where, nine years after the landmark Supreme Court decision in Lawrence v. Texas, the defunct sodomy law remains on the books and is a mandated element of public school sex education. This Article advocates updating these antiquated laws to reflect both the culture of equality promised in American public schools and the unconstitutionality of laws prohibiting homosexual conduct.  PDF of Section on Arizona

* Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah.

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Same-Sex Marriage and ChildrenSame-Sex Marriage and Children is the first book to bring together historical, social science, and legal considerations to comprehensively respond to the objections to same-sex marriage that are based on the need to promote so-called "responsible procreation" and child welfare. Carlos A. Ball places the current marriage debates within a broader historical context by exploring how the procreative and child welfare claims used to try to deny same-sex couples the opportunity to marry are similar to earlier arguments used to defend interracial marriage bans, laws prohibiting disabled individuals from marrying, and the differential treatment of children born out of wedlock. Ball also draws a link between welfare reform and same-sex marriage bans by explaining how conservative proponents have defended both based on the need for the government to promote responsible procreation among heterosexuals. 

In addition, Ball examines the social science studies relied on by opponents of same-sex marriage and explains in a highly engaging and accessible way why they do not support the contention that biological status and parental gender matter when it comes to parenting. He also explores the relevance of the social science studies on the children of lesbians and gay men to the question of whether same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. In doing so, the book looks closely at the gay marriage cases that recently reached the Supreme Court and explains why the constitutionality of same-sex marriage bans cannot be defended on the basis that maintaining marriage as an exclusively heterosexual institution helps to promote the best interests of children. Same-Sex Marriage and Children will help lawyers, law professors, judges, legislators, social and political scientists, historians, and child welfare officials-as well as general readers interested in matters related to marriage and families-understand the empirical and legal issues behind the intersection of same-sex marriage and children's welfare.
© 2014 Arizona Equality