Illinois anti-bullying law moves to governor’s desk
The Illinois House of Representatives voted unanimously Friday to approve legislation making schools safer for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students.
The anti-bullying legislation specifically prevents harassment of students based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
[1]
“Passing a statewide anti-bullying bill was one of our top legislative priorities for this year,” CEO of Equality Illinois Bernard Cherkasov told ChicagoPride.com [2] last week.
Schools will be required to adopt policies that protect students from bullying and violence.
The bill’s next stop is Gov. Pat Quinn’s desk for signing.
[1] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-bullying-lgbt-top.jpg
[2] http://www.chicagopride.com/news/article.cfm/articleid/10266100
CA Supreme Court Upholds Student Civil Rights Act
(Sacramento, June 1, 2009) –Today, a Sacramento Superior Court dismissed a lawsuit seeking to invalidate SB 777, the California Student Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination against students on the basis of race, religion, disability, gender, and sexual orientation. The lawsuit was brought by a right-wing group that specifically objected to protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students. The court held that the plaintiffs had failed to show any way in which the statute was even allegedly unlawful.
“We are pleased the court rejected this attack on the Student Civil Rights Act,” said Carolyn Laub, Gay-Straight Alliance Network Executive Director. “School should be safe place for all children, including those who are—or are perceived to be—lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.”
The lawsuit was filed on November 5, 2008. State Superintendent Jack O’Connell, represented by California Attorney General Jerry Brown, filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit on January 8, 2009. On March 19, 2009, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Lambda Legal, the Transgender Law Center, Equality California, and Gay-Straight Alliance Network filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting the motion to dismiss.
Governor Schwarzenegger signed SB 777 into law on October 12, 2007. SB 777 reinforced existing anti-discrimination protections in publicly-funded schools and updated the Education Code so that teachers and administrators do not have to cross-reference other parts of state law to understand their obligations to protect students from harassment and discrimination in all school activities. The bill was sponsored by Equality California, the state’s LGBT legislative organization, and authored by former Senator Sheila Kuehl.
According to the 2001 California Healthy Kids Survey, nearly 30 percent of California youth in grades 7 to 11 report experiencing harassment or bullying based on their actual or perceived race, ethnicity, religion, disability, gender, or sexual orientation.
Equality California (EQCA) is the largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender-rights advocacy organization in California. In the past decade, EQCA has strategically moved California from a state with extremely limited legal protections for LGBT individuals to a state with some of the most comprehensive civil-rights protections in the nation. EQCA has passed over 50 pieces of legislation and continues to advance equality through legislative advocacy, public education and community empowerment. www.eqca.org
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/06/ca-supreme-co…
High School Student Takes On Anti-Gay Harassment — And Wins
ACLU Reaches Agreement With School District To Combat Bias After Lesbian Student Is Harassed By Teachers
VALLEJO, CA – The American Civil Liberties Union announced today that it has reached a settlement agreement with the Vallejo City Unified School District on behalf of a high school student who faced anti-gay harassment and discrimination from teachers and school staff and was required to participate in a school-sponsored “counseling” group designed to discourage students from being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. The settlement is designed to combat harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity at all the district’s schools, and includes district-wide anti-harassment training for students and staff.
“All I ever wanted was to be able to go to school and just be myself. But I couldn’t do that when the people I was supposed to be learning from were judging me and telling me something was wrong with me. How was I supposed to learn when I was constantly scared?” said Hamilton, a high school student who came out as a lesbian when she was 13.
For Rochelle Hamilton, starting high school was the beginning of relentless verbal harassment and discrimination from teachers and staff based on her sexual orientation and gender expression. Hamilton began attending Vallejo’s Jesse Bethel High School as a sophomore in the fall of 2007. The verbal attacks started almost immediately, and continued for months.
Hamilton became severely depressed and her grades plummeted. Worried for her daughter, Hamilton’s mother, Cheri Hamilton, repeatedly wrote letters, made phone calls, and met in person with school and district officials for several months. After three months of outreach to the school and the district, Cheri Hamilton contacted the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California for help. The ACLU intervened to resolve the matter with the school district.
Hamilton reports that while some of the harassment she suffered came from other students, most of the time it came from school teachers and staff. Specific incidents included:
· A teacher approached Hamilton while she was hugging her girlfriend and said, “This is ungodly, and you’re going to hell. This is a sin.”
· Another teacher said, “What’s wrong with you? What are you, a man or a woman?”
· Other school staff made repeated harassing comments to Hamilton in front of her classmates, including saying, “it’s not right to be this way.”
· Hamilton was also on several occasions denied access to the girls’ locker room.
“California school districts are required by state law to protect students from harassment and discrimination, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity,” said Elizabeth Gill, an ACLU-NC staff attorney who worked with the district on the settlement. “If a school district ignores anti-gay bias in schools, it is plainly violating both state and federal law. These laws are designed, in part, to ensure that all students are able to learn and thrive free from bias. When it’s left unchecked, harassment can take a serious toll on students.”
One of the most egregious incidents in this case involved a school counselor who required Hamilton to attend a special weekly support group for gay students. The real purpose of the group was quickly revealed, however, when the counselor berated students for “choosing” to be gay and tried to convince them to change their sexual orientation or gender expression. The counselor told the students that it is “hard to get a job if you’re gay.” When Hamilton’s mother went to school officials about the “counseling” group, the counselor confronted Hamilton the next week, telling her, “You’re going to get this treatment your whole life. What are you going to do, stand up every time?”
“The district-wide anti-harassment training will make Vallejo schools a more welcoming place to learn for all students,” said Jory Steele, ACLU-NC’s managing attorney. “District administrators made the right move in taking important steps to protect its students from bias.”
Hamilton transferred out of Jesse Bethel High School midway through her sophomore year to escape the daily harassment. She is now completing her junior year at another high school in the district.
Pursuant to the five-year agreement reached with the ACLU, the district will adopt a clear policy explicitly prohibiting discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity, as required by California law; develop a specific procedure for harassment and discrimination complaints; provide mandatory training for all teachers and other staff who interact with students in how to identify anti-gay harassment and discrimination, why it’s harmful, and how to prevent it; and provide mandatory anti-harassment training to all students in the district, as well as taking other steps to make the district a more welcoming environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students.
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/05/high-school-s…
Lambda warns school officials : hands off South Medford High School student and Gay Straight Alliance
(Medford, Oregon, April 17, 2009) — Lambda Legal has sent a letter of support to South Medford High School Principal Kevin Campbell, Medford School District Superintendent Phil Long, and the School Board on behalf of South Medford High School student and Gay Straight Alliance member Connie McNair.
The letter objects that school officials have been imposing restrictions on the Medford High GSA to which no other on-campus group is subject and that seriously burden club members’ free speech and associational rights. These include requiring GSA members to get prior approval for their announcements and activities from an assistant principal, deeming the club’s legitimate educational activities illicit “proselytizing,” and even prohibiting the club from formally announcing today’s “Day of Silence.” The Day of Silence is a national event calling attention to anti-gay bullying and harassment in schools.
In the letter, Lambda Legal Staff Attorney Tara Borelli writes “While we hope that the school’s actions to deter the GSA’s activities are simply the result of confusion about its obligations, the law in this area is well-established and school’s unequal treatment of the GSA is difficult to understand and should be remedied swiftly.”
In addition to the freedom of speech guaranteed by the Constitution, public school students are also protected by the federal Equal Access Act. The EAA says that if a school receives federal funds and allows extracurricular student groups to meet, it cannot discriminate against any of the groups based on the content of its speech. GSA groups across the country have used the EAA in court to protect their right to free speech.
“It’s simply unlawful for South Medford High School to create unequal obstacles for Connie or the GSA, or to stifle the GSA’s announcements about the Day of Silence,” said Borelli. “We want to remind South Medford school officials that they have a responsibility to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students, and we’re asking them to lift any restriction applying to the GSA but not to other groups.
“All we want is safety and equality within our school,” said McNair. “Our GSA members want
students, school officials, and the community to know that we can’t be discriminated against based on our speech or activities.” * Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/04/lambda-warns-…
Lambda slams school officals re: South Medford High School student and Gay Straight Alliance
(Medford, Oregon, April 17, 2009) — Lambda Legal has sent a letter of support to South Medford High School Principal Kevin Campbell, Medford School District Superintendent Phil Long, and the School Board on behalf of South Medford High School student and Gay Straight Alliance member Connie McNair.
The letter objects that school officials have been imposing restrictions on the Medford High GSA to which no other on-campus group is subject and that seriously burden club members’ free speech and associational rights. These include requiring GSA members to get prior approval for their announcements and activities from an assistant principal, deeming the club’s legitimate educational activities illicit “proselytizing,” and even prohibiting the club from formally announcing today’s “Day of Silence.” The Day of Silence is a national event calling attention to anti-gay bullying and harassment in schools.
In the letter, Lambda Legal Staff Attorney Tara Borelli writes “While we hope that the school’s actions to deter the GSA’s activities are simply the result of confusion about its obligations, the law in this area is well-established and school’s unequal treatment of the GSA is difficult to understand and should be remedied swiftly.”
In addition to the freedom of speech guaranteed by the Constitution, public school students are also protected by the federal Equal Access Act. The EAA says that if a school receives federal funds and allows extracurricular student groups to meet, it cannot discriminate against any of the groups based on the content of its speech. GSA groups across the country have used the EAA in court to protect their right to free speech.
“It’s simply unlawful for South Medford High School to create unequal obstacles for Connie or the GSA, or to stifle the GSA’s announcements about the Day of Silence,” said Borelli. “We want to remind South Medford school officials that they have a responsibility to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students, and we’re asking them to lift any restriction applying to the GSA but not to other groups.
“All we want is safety and equality within our school,” said McNair. “Our GSA members want
students, school officials, and the community to know that we can’t be discriminated against based on our speech or activities.”
Lambda Legal has given school officials until May 1 to respond to the letter.
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/04/lambda-slams-…
New Report Reveals that Bullying of Gay Students in Oregon in a Problem
The groups are joining with lawmakers to strengthen Oregon’s anti-bullying law and create safeguards for youth in Oregon schools.
A new report, Too Afraid to Learn: Barriers to Post-Secondary Education for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Students, analyses a survey of 3,500 Oregon college students about the climate for gay and transgender students at high schools and universities.
“One in three gay and transgender students in Oregon indicate that the hostile climate in their high school created a significant barrier to graduation,” said Tash Shatz, of the Oregon Students Equal Rights Alliance.
“And more than half of gay and transgender college students concealed their sexual orientation or gender identity for fear of personal safety, discrimination, or rejection.”
Scott Schmitz, a junior at Oregon State University told the report’s authors: “One of the reasons I decided to come out as gay to my family, when I was nineteen rather than thirteen, was because I was afraid of becoming homeless.
“When I did come out my family pushed me away and made it explicit that if I didn’t change they wouldn’t talk to me again.
“After telling them that my sexuality was not a phase, I was cut off from them. I did not expect that they were going to stop supporting my education.
“I was not allowed home for Christmas or Thanksgiving and the communication we had was limited.”
And his problems did not end there. When he tried to apply for financial aid for his university education he came up against bureaucracy as his parents refused to supply him with their tax information which had to accompany the financial aid application.
The report makes seven key recommendations:
■ Provide inclusive and informed services for LGBT students.
■ Provide safe and inclusive housing for LGBT students.
■ Create policies and legislation that protect LGBT persons from discrimination and harassment on campus.
■ Institutionalize data collection on LGBT students.
■ Actively work to recruit and retain LGBT staff and faculty.
■ Establish gender neutral facilities such as bathrooms and locker rooms.
■ Ensure that all service providers on campus receive education on LGBT issues.
A second report demonstrates that minority youth are far more likely to be the targets of bullies than white youth.
“African American, Latino and Native American youth report up to 23% higher levels of harassment in our schools than white students,” said Ebony Smith, of the Oregon Students of Color Coalition.
“We have a responsibility to take action now, to ensure that our schools are safe for all youth.”
Advocates released these reports as the Legislature begins deliberations on House Bill 2599, legislation designed to strengthen and enhance Oregon’s existing anti-bullying statute.
HB2599 would ensure state-wide adoption of anti-bullying and anti-harassment policies, create clear notice and complaint procedures and establish a comprehensive approach to address bullying.
The proposal strengthens existing statute by clarifying the definition of bullying, adding specific guidelines for making the policy available to the school community, and encouraging training programs. The legislation is expected to have its first hearing in the House Education Committee in early March.
“House Bill 2599 will strengthen Oregon’s anti-bullying law, ensure state-wide implementation, and help keep all children safe,” said Sonya Fischer, a disability advocate and Board Member with Family and Community Together.
She added, “This will make a difference for youth with disabilities who are too often the targets of bullying.”
Matthew Rose, a University of Oregon senior said: “Four and a half years ago, when I first attended the University of Oregon, I was a closeted person of colour. Going to college was going to be an opportunity to explore my identity in a place that I thought would embrace my development and growth.
“Despite the relatively liberal nature of my surroundings, words and phrases such as “faggot” and “that’s so gay” were commonplace, and even when said in front of authority figures, there were little to no responses.
“The homophobic environment made me think twice about coming out. I fight the daily battle to challenge racism and negative stereotypes of Black Americans.
“I was not ready to be in another fight, especially, when no one else was leading the charge. Finding the support to deal with my identity in a healthy manner was difficult.
“The University of Oregon does have resources for the LGBT community; however as a person of colour these spaces do not really resonate with me. I strongly identified with my racial identity and had only newly come into my sexual identity; I felt there wasn’t a space where I could be fine with both.”
House Education Committee Chair, Rep. Sara Gelser (D-Corvallis), joined advocates today at the launch of the two reports.
“All kids should grow up free from fear of intimidation and harassment at school,” she said.
“By strengthening school anti-bullying policies, we can make Oregon schools safer, stronger and more secure.”
Rep. Gelser, a mother of four, chairs the House committee that is considering legislation to update and strengthen the bullying statute.
■ Click HERE for Too Afraid to Learn: Barriers to Post-Secondary Education for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Students.
■ Click HERE for No End In Sight: An Examination of Oregon Healthy Teens Survey reports of harassment of youth of color in Oregon Schools.
* Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/03/new-report-re…
Study: Gays of color face greater discrimination in schools
(New York City) LGBT students of color face greater victimization at school, according to a new study.
The research paper: Shared Differences: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Students of Color in Our Nation’s Schools, was rele ased by GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and …
Gays of color at highest risk in schools
(New York City) A study of LGBT students in the nation’s schools has found that students of color are the most vulnerable.
The study – Shared Differences: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Students of Color in Our Nation’s Schools – was prepared by GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and …
