A Virginia senate committee killed a bill that critics argued would have given school boards the right to ban gay-straight alliances from high schools. The senate education and health committee on Thursday voted 9-6 to nix Del. Matthew Lohr's bill, which would have clarified that school boards can prohibit any student club from using school facilities if the group encourages or promotes "sexual activity by unmarried minor students."
Local school boards already have the authority to ban events that promote sexual activity, but the bill's proponents argued that it was needed to clarify the law and allow the attorney general to defend school boards if they were sued because of prohibitions. The house of delegates passed the bill on a 70-29 vote in January.
Dyana Mason, executive director of Equality Virginia, called the bill a "thinly veiled attempt to allow and even encourage some school boards to discriminate against gay-straight alliances."
Lohr said that argument was simply untrue. "This bill is not aimed at eliminating gay-straight alliances from our schools," said Lohr. "I'm sure the majority of them are doing good things. This bill just gives the school board more legal authority that they can act when there are clubs that are promoting sexual activity."
Meanwhile in Utah, a bill to ban gay-straight alliances in that state was left in limbo when legislators ended their 2006 legislative session on Thursday without bringing it up for a vote. The bill could be revived if lawmakers come back for a special session later this year. (AP, with additional reporting by Advocate.com)
