Target: U.S.
Congress
Sponsored by: GLSEN
Since April, we've experienced several tragic
suicides of middle-school aged children -- each provoked by anti-LGBT (lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transgender) bullying and harassment.
These
heartbreaking student suicides are a chilling reminder to all of us that we need
to stand up and take action to prevent the perpetuation of soul crushing
anti-LGBT behavior that is claiming young lives.
Passing the
Safe Schools Improvement Act (H.R. 2262) would mark a pivotal
turning point in the crucial fight for safer schools. It would establish -- for
the first time in our nation's history -- a federal mandate for schools to adopt
anti-bullying policies that include the categories of sexual orientation and
gender identity/expression. This act would ensure that schools no longer get a
"pass" when they turn a blind eye to anti-LGBT behavior, and it would require
them to address all forms of bullying.
Take a stand today. Urge
your representative to support the Safe Schools Improvement Act today.
Dear Representative,
Last month the Safe Schools Improvement Act
(H.R. 2262) was introduced and referred to the House Committee on Education and
Labor. It is my hope that you will do the right thing and support this essential
piece of legislation that will help make schools safer for all students
regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression.
H.R.
2262 would require schools that receive Safe and Drug-Free Schools and
Communities Act funding to implement comprehensive anti-bullying policies that
enumerate categories often targeted by bullies, including race, religion, sexual
orientation, gender identity/expression and others.
Up until this point
we have failed our students and young people by allowing anti-LGBT bullying to
go unfettered and unchecked. The most recent result of our negligence to respond
collectively and proactively to this endemic problem has been the loss of two
young lives this past April. Within just two weeks this spring, Carl Joseph
Walker-Hoover of Springfield, MA, and Jaheem Herrera of DeKalb, GA, returned
from school with broken spirits and hanged themselves following relentless
bullying and anti-LGBT taunts. These were just the reported cases -- thousands
more suffer silently.
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