Anti-CRT bills aim to outlaw discrimination, not free speech, advocates say

Republican legislators in states across the country have introduced legislation to combat the inculcation of critical race theory (CRT) in public schools, and while critics claim the bills attack free speech, advocates frame the issue as a matter of preventing discrimination on the basis of race and upholding federal civil rights law.

Georgia State Rep. Will Wade, R-Dawsonville, a sponsor of the Georgia law, said his bill aimed to "ensure that children in the classroom are not pitted against each other based on their race. I believe the content of our character is how we should be measured and that we should show complete and total respect to every human being."