Rep Raymond Crews (R) District 8, Bossier City
Among the bills filed for the upcoming legislative session is the “Given Name Act,” authored by Bossier City Representative Raymond Crews. Crews said school employees would be required to use a student’s given name and corresponding pronouns unless written parental consent said otherwise.
“I’m trying to help teachers who are kind of put in a difficult position here, with these people choosing their names or whatnot. And the second of course is to help parents have a closer involvement with their children, what’s going on, and what kind of decisions they are making. It’s those two things,” said Crews.
Crews said he’s received positive feedback from teachers, who in some cases have been asked by a student to use another name and pronoun that the parents are not aware of.
“They don’t like the secret situation. They really want to know that they can do what’s common and customary and when it’s not to have some kind of written permission,” said Crews.
The Republican lawmaker said parents have to give permission for their minor child to have a gun or a tattoo and he believes the “Given Name Act” falls along the same lines.
“If you’re going to make a decision here, particularly considering what you think is your identity, shouldn’t parents be involved in that? This is not the place for children to make their decisions, independent of any kind of guidance,” said Crews.
Crews said he’s received positive feedback from teachers and fellow lawmakers. The regular session begins on April 10th.
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