As end of session nears, Louisiana lawmakers advance controversial LGBTQ+-related bills

By SARA CLINE
Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — As Louisiana’s legislative session nears adjournment, lawmakers are pushing forward controversial LGBTQ+-related bills, including advancing a resurrected ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender youths. Earlier this week, lawmakers advanced a bill that would broadly ban K-12 public school employees in Louisiana from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity in the classroom. A similar measure, which would require teachers to use the pronouns and name that align with a student’s sex assigned at birth, also advanced to final passage this week. Lawmakers must adjourn the 2023 legislative session no later than Thursday evening.