BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC) -
Sixteen-year-old Sarah Noone and her friend Adam Pratt made a YouTube video all in hopes of getting the legislature's attention.
Their goal: to change how sex education is currently taught in the classroom.
"It was shocking. I really didn't think that it would still be there," said Sarah.
Right now, the manual provided to teachers states "homosexuality is not a lifestyle acceptable to the general public and that homosexual conduct is a criminal offense."
"I think that the law really has a negative effect on the LGBT youth," Noone said. "By having it in law, even if it is not something that every teacher follows, you are telling every queer student in the state that they are not valid."
Within the past month Sarah and Adam have started a petition to help shed light on the issue. They had a goal to gather 5,000 signatures and have already surpassed that number by the tens of thousands.
On top of that they have the backing on Representative Patricia Todd.
"What she wants to do it remove that homophobic statement from law," said Noone.
She hopes the signatures on the petition will speak volumes and said, "I think getting their attention like that should be helpful."
Representative Todd was unable to be reached for comment on when she plans to take this change to the capital.
So far Noone and Pratt have received more than 80,000 signatures both from people in Alabama and across the states.
If you would like to learn more about their stance you can find information at http://www.change.org/petitions/alabama-state-legislators-repeal-law-forcing-schools-to-teach-that-being-gay-is-criminal.
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L-R: Adam Pratt and Sarah Noone in their video challenging the state law. Source: YouTube
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