Wyoming enacted SEA 8, requiring parental opt-in before instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity

On March 6, 2024, Senate Enrolled Act 8 (Senate File 9, "Parental Rights in Education") took effect in Wyoming after Gov. Mark Gordon allowed it to become law without his signature. The Legislature had passed the measure 28-2 in the Senate and 55-7 in the House. Codified at W.S. 21-3-135, the act requires public school districts to obtain written or electronic permission from a parent or guardian at least one day in advance before a student may participate in any trainings, courses, or classes that address sexual orientation or gender identity — a permission requirement imposed on no other area of instruction. The law also requires schools to notify parents of "a change in the student's physical, mental or emotional health or well-being."

In a letter to Senate President Ogden Driskill, Gordon wrote that he struggled "to see what additional value this bill brings," calling it a burden on public schools and warning of harmful unintended consequences, but declined to veto it, finding it within the Legislature's constitutional powers. The ACLU of Wyoming and Wyoming Equality opposed the bill; ACLU advocacy director Antonio Serrano said it "disguises discrimination as parental rights" and enables "the forced outing of trans and nonbinary students" by requiring schools to disclose changes in a student's health or well-being to parents.