The Alabama House of Representatives has passed a bill to expand a ban on teachers providing instruction or classroom discussion about sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools.

HB130 by Rep. Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City, would expand the ban that now applies from kindergarten through fifth grade to apply through 8th grade. The ban was first passed in 2022 and was similar to a law passed in Florida that opponents called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

The House approved the bill 74-25 after a long discussing during which Republicans spoke in support of the bill and Democrats spoke in opposition. The bill moves to the Senate.

Butler’s bill was initially written to extend the prohibition through 12th grade. But Butler supported an amendment by Rep. Barbara Drummond, D-Mobile, to stop the prohibition at 8th grade. Butler said the amendment was recommended by the state Department of Education. The House approved it by a vote of 97-6.

Besides extending the ban through eighth grade, Butler’s bill would also prohibit teachers and other school employees from displaying a flag or insignia representing sexual orientation of gender identity in a classroom or on school property, such as a pride flag or rainbow flag.

Butler said the prohibition on displaying a symbol did not apply to students and that, for example, a student could wear a shirt with the rainbow flag.

Butler said the bill is commonsense legislation and is aimed at making sure that teachers stick to academics and not subjects that students should discuss with their parents.

Republican lawmakers who came to the mic supported the bill and said it was about protecting children.

Rep. Marilyn Lands, D-Huntsville, urged her colleagues to reject the bill. Lands said her experience as a mental health professional has taught her how LGBTQ students face bullying and ostracization with sometimes tragic consequences, such as suicides.

“All of you know people that have been personally affected by this kind of cruelty,” Lands said.

Lands said she also opposed the bill on the basis of her faith.

“God made us as we are and God doesn’t make mistakes,” Lands said.

“We are called to love our neighbors, and that means all our neighbors,” she said.

Rep. Mark Gidley, R-Gadsden, speaking in support of the bill, said it was an effort to students from being indoctrinated. Butler agreed that indoctrination is happening in some circumstances.

Butler said his goal is to protect children. He said he was a PTO president when his children were in school and served a decade on the local school board in his district.

Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, said if the bill is an effort to prevent children from being exposed to information about sexual orientation, gender identity, and related topics, that it won’t work because cellphones make that information readily available.

“They have it in the palm of their hands,” Givan said. “The best of children pick these phones up and they search.”

Rep. Phillip Ensler, D-Montgomery, a former teacher, said he was worried about the consequences of increasing the ostracization of gay and transgender students, the concerns that Lands mentioned. Ensler asked Butler for his response to the possibility that his bill could lead to children committing suicide.

“This has a real world consequence, and that is so disturbing,” Ensler said.

Butler said he did not think his bill would result in children committing suicide. He said children would still be able to talk privately to their teachers. He reiterated the point that his goal was to keep the focus on academics. He said some of the interpretations of his bill were ludicrous.

“We want them teaching what they were hired to teach,” Butler said. “What they were trained to teach.”

Ensler asked about teachers who teach history, current events, and similar subjects, and asked if they would be able to teach, for example, about the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized gay marriage.

Butler said the ban would not prohibit teaching about history such as that Supreme Court ruling.

Ensler said the Legislature should be working on solutions to gun violence and other topics that people are more concerned about.

“Instead, we’re spending time addressing all sorts of made up stuff,” Ensler said.

Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, R-Trinity, said it was disingenuous for opponents of the bill to suggest it would interfere with teaching history like court rulings affecting gay rights. Yarbrough said he supported the bill and opposed the amendment that limited the ban to eighth grade, rather than 12th grade.

“It’s not the job of public education to sexualize our kids,” Yarbrough said.

This story will be updated.

Read more: Alabama bill would expand ban on sex and gender topics in schools, despite lack of complaints