Michigan House approves bill to ban ‘race or gender stereotyping’ from curriculum

(The Center Square) – The GOP-led Michigan House approved House Bill (HB) 5097 that aims to ban race or gender stereotyping from core school curriculum on a vote of 55-0, with Democrats abstaining.

The bill aims to require that core academic curriculum must not include any form of race or gender stereotyping or anything that could be interpreted as directly stereotyping. The bill discussion touched on national issues, such as how schools teach hard history lessons.

The bill defined “race and gender stereotyping” as the following:

That all individuals composing a racial or ethnic group or gender hold a collective quality or belief.That individuals are born racist or sexist by accident of their race or gender.That individuals bear collective guilt for historical wrongs committed by their race or gender.That racism is inherent in individuals from a particular race or ethnic group or that sexism is inherent in individuals from a particular gender.That the actions of individuals serve as an indictment against the race or gender of those individuals.

Republicans said the bill would help keep divisive topics such as Critical Race Theory out of the classroom.

Rep. Andrew Beeler, R-Port Huron, says the bill is “not about political buzzwords, restricting classroom conversations, challenging the lived experiences of students.”

“We either combat racism and sexism in our classrooms, or, I believe, we condemn ourselves to repeating the mistakes of the past,” Beeler said.

Democrats accused Republicans of trying to “whitewash” history.

“Facts are facts,” Rep. Abraham Aiyash, D-Hamtramck, said. “And if it makes you uncomfortable, so be it. But that doesn’t change the facts.”

Democrats abstained from voting because Republicans didn’t let Rep. Cynthia Johnson, D-Detroit, speak on the bill.

Gideon D’Assandro, spokesman for House Speaker Jason Wentworth, R-Farwell, said Democrats submitted five names for speeches, but Johnson’s name was not included on that list.

Rep. Ann Bollin, R-Brighton Twp, welcomed the bill.

“The radical new approach some are taking to push race and gender stereotypes onto young, impressionable children is wrong,” Bollin said in a statement. “Bringing such stereotypes into our classrooms divides kids and falsely teaches them that the color of their skin or their sex matters more than the content of their character.”

The measure moves to the Senate.

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