Illinois House approves bill against homophobic and transphobic bullying

The House in the US state of Illinois has unanimously approved a bill to prevent homophobic and transphobic bullying.

The bill, which focuses on bullying and is inclusive of LGBT students, has already been passed by state senators and was introduced just eight weeks ago.

It means that schools in the state must draw up anti-bullying policies and educate students about the issue.

Bernard Cherkasov, chief executive of Equality Illinois, said: “At long last, schools across the state will be uniformly required to take steps to protect vulnerable kids from bullying and violence.

“Students who are perceived to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender are particularly vulnerable to bullying. And the attempted suicide rate rate among LGBT students, which is as much as three times higher than the general average, presents alarming evidence for just how urgently we need this law.”