Montana bill would forbid schools from punishing students who won't use transgender names of peers

A bill in the Montana legislature would forbid schools from punishing students who refuse to use the transgender names and pronouns of students who identify as such. 

The bill, introduced by state Republican Rep. Brandon Ler, stipulates that it is "not an unlawful discriminatory practice" for a student to "call another student by the student's legal name" or "refer to another student by the student's sex."

“Children should not be forced to call somebody something they’re not,” Ler said during a recent hearing in the legislature. 

Republicans control both state houses of the legislature, with the state's governor, Greg Gianforte, also a Republican.