Louisiana's legislature has passed the "Given Name Act" (HB 121). The measure requires public school officials to use names and pronouns that match a student's birth certificate unless directed otherwise by a parent. The bill passed the House 60-31 and the Senate 27-9.
Louisiana would become the eighth state to enact such legislation should Gov. Jeff Landry sign the bill into law. His predecessor, Democrat John Bel Edwards, had vetoed similar legislation while in office.
Trey Dellenger, a senior fellow with AFA Action, tells AFN the new law means children and teachers in public schools in the state will no longer have to play the "transgender pronoun game."
"School districts cannot require their employees to identify their pronouns or they cannot require employees or students to address another employee or student with a pronoun that's different than the pronoun that's consistent with that person's birth sex as shown on their original birth certificate," he explains.
If the terms of the Given Name Act are violated, a parent can lodge a complaint; and if that's not resolved properly, file a lawsuit. AFA Action is supportive of the legislation, says Dellenger.
"Our Constitution and our laws were … handed down to us by our forefathers to do justice," he shares. "And as St. Augustine said, whatever is against truth cannot be just. So, we want to stand up for truth and we want to stand up for our rights as Americans and as Christians to speak the truth."
This week Gov. Landry signed into law H.B. 608, the "Women's Safety and Protection Act." That legislation fortifies the definition of sex-based words (such as "woman" and "man) and defines certain spaces (e.g., restrooms, changing rooms) that, going forward, will be for females only. That law becomes effective August 1, 2024.
Editor's Note: AFA Action is an affiliate of the American Family Association, the parent organization of the American Family News Network, which operates AFN.net.
