The state of Oklahoma was sued by a coalition of civil rights groups on Tuesday over a law allegedly limiting instruction about race and gender in public schools.

The lawsuit, which is backed by the ACLU and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, claims that HB 1775, which went into effect in May, violates students’ and instructors’ free speech rights and denies people of colour, LGBTQ kids, and girls the opportunity to learn about their history, according to NBC News report.

Also read: Biden administration to ask SC to halt Texas abortion law

Meanwhile, this is the first federal lawsuit to challenge a state statute implemented to prevent the teaching of critical race theory.

The Oklahoma legislation prohibits anybody from being taught that they are “inherently racist, sexist, or repressive, whether knowingly or subconsciously,” or that they should experience “discomfort, shame, sorrow, or any other kind of psychological suffering” because of their race or sex. Teachers and administrators who break the law can lose their licences, and schools can lose accreditation, according to state regulations.

According to the lawsuit, a federal judge should immediately suspend the law’s implementation and declare it illegal under the First and Fourteenth amendments.

Also Read: Virginia Republicans under fire for flyers, Democrats allege racism, antisemitism

“HB 1775 is a direct affront to the constitutional rights of teachers and students across Oklahoma by restricting conversations around race and gender at all levels of education,” said Megan Lambert, the legal director of the ACLU of Oklahoma, NBC reported.

Meanwhile, Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt had previously said that the law would ensure that no taxpayer money would be used “to define and divide young Oklahomans about their race or sex.”

Oklahoma is one of five Republican-controlled states to adopt legislation restricting how schools teach race and gender this year. Other states, such as Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, have imposed restrictions on race conversations in schools, while others, such as Texas, have passed legislation mandating schools to offer opposing perspectives on difficult subjects.