Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed the Given Name Act restricting school staff use of trans students' names and pronouns

On April 11, 2023, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed House Bill 1468, titled the "Given Name Act," into law as Act 542 of 2023, codified at Arkansas Code 6-1-108 [1][2]. The Arkansas General Assembly, in its 2023 regular session, passed the measure, with the Senate approving it along party lines on April 5 and the House having passed it in March [2][3].

The law prohibits employees of public schools, open-enrollment public charter schools, and state-supported institutions of higher education from addressing an unemancipated minor or student with a pronoun or title inconsistent with the student's biological sex, or with a name other than the one on the student's birth certificate, unless the employee has written permission from the student's parent or guardian [1][3]. It further provides that such employees may not be subject to adverse employment action for declining to use a preferred name or pronoun, that students may not be disciplined for the same refusal, and it creates a private cause of action, including damages and attorney's fees, for violations [1]. The requirement extends to higher education, meaning parents of students who are legal adults would still have to grant the written permission the law requires [3].