Senate Republicans Approve Anti-American Gag Rule
Contact Name: Marina Altschiller
Phone: (603) 271-3207
CONCORD - Today, Senate Republicans approved an extreme gag rule prohibiting the discussion of ‘divisive concepts,’ by public employees, including teachers. This ban on free speech blocks critical discussions around issues including implicit bias, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, and mental or physical disability.
After the vote, Senate Democratic Leader Donna Soucy (D-Manchester) and Deputy Senate Democratic Leader Cindy Rosenwald (D-Nashua) issued the following statements:
“There is nothing more anti-American than putting prohibitions on free speech,” stated Senate Democratic Leader Donna Soucy (D-Manchester). “This unconstitutional, illogical policy does nothing more than protect those unwilling to have the difficult conversations around implicit and unconscious bias, while at the same time silencing American history. To call this direct violation of our first amendment rights an ‘anti-discrimination’ effort is an outrageous façade. The only effect this legislation will have on discrimination in our state is it will prevent discussions around it. I am truly disappointed to see its passage today.”
Deputy Senate Democratic Leader Cindy Rosenwald (D-Nashua) added, “This nation was founded on the principle that each one of us is endowed with the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Those rights are infringed upon when children of color make up only 16% of our population but 37% percent of detention admissions. Those rights are infringed upon when in 2020, New Hampshire was ranked 45th in the nation in gender pay equality. Those rights are infringed upon when white supremacists cover our public spaces in hate speech and tell Granite Staters that they do not belong here. To ignore these issues, to say that discrimination is a relic of the past and cannot be discussed now, is to turn a blind eye to reality and stick our heads in the sand. I believe in our American potential, but we cannot get there by gagging our right to free speech. This partisan pandering was a cowardly move and I truly hope it is not reflective of where we are heading as a state.”
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