These LGBTQ Utah students say a deeply homophobic state law is making their lives hell

LGBTQ rights have come a long way in the U.S. in the last few years, with both public opinion and some key court cases helping to turn the tide. But some states still have some deeply hateful laws on their books. Utah is one of them, and a new federal lawsuit brought by three students there aims to change that.

The suit, which was filed against Utah’s state board of education as well as three school districts, seeks to overturn the state’s laws against discussing LGBTQ issues in school.

The lawsuit targets two particular portions of Utah state law—specifically, a section that forbids teachers from engaging in “advocacy of homosexuality” and one that lets school districts ban clubs if they “involve human sexuality.”

The three students, pseudonymously identified as John, James and Jane Doe in the lawsuit, all say these laws have caused problems for them as gay or gender non-conforming students. They include a “gender non-conforming boy who sometimes wears clothing traditionally worn by girls,” the suit says, and a high school boy and girl, both of whom are gay. The seven-year-old was allegedly severely bullied and eventually had to leave school. The high school boy also claims to have been consistently bullied and banned from discussing his uncle’s marriage to another man at school. The third student says she was disciplined for holding hands with another girl and was discouraged from asking questions about LGBTQ issues in health class.