Conservatives propose revised sex ed rules in LGBTQ pushback

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The measure pushed by a powerful social conservative group is framed as a parental rights issue and would require schools to get parents' permission for discussions about gender identity, sexual orientation or HIV/AIDS in sex education classes. Arizona is one of five states that already require parents' permission before a child can attend sex education classes, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. A group of college students say Arizona's sex education is already backward and the new proposal moves it even farther away from what young people need to know. “A lot of parents seem to think that if you don’t talk about it, teenagers won’t have sex, which is definitely not true.” Arizona's measure would bar schools from providing any sex education instruction before fifth grade, require 60 days’ notice of curriculum changes and mandate public meetings about those revisions, even those required under the new law.