North Dakota Adopts Bill Letting Teachers Ignore Students’ Preferred Pronouns

An activist holds pins about gender pronouns on the University of Wyoming campus in Laramie, Wyo., on Aug. 13, 2022. Patrick Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

State lawmakers in North Dakota have passed a bill that would allow a range of government employees—including public school teachers—to ignore the preferred pronouns of transgender students or work colleagues.

The bill (pdf), which cleared the state Senate on Thursday on a 40–6 vote, now heads to Republican Gov. Doug Burgum’s desk for consideration. The measure passed with a veto-proof majority so, technically, it doesn’t need Burgum’s approval to become law.