HRC Blog

This week the Louisiana House of Representatives voted against HB 112, which would have established a minimum standard for public school anti-bullying policies and prohibited the harassment, intimidation and bullying of a student by another student in public elementary and secondary schools. HRC members and supporters in Louisiana joined those from the Forum for Equality and other advocates who want to keep students safe in school to successfully pass the bill out of committee. Unfortunately, the conservatives in the house voted down the final bill. You can find out how Louisiana representatives voted here. HRC will continue to work with Forum for Equality and other advocates to help ensure the bill is reintroduced next year.

Last Friday, the United States Commission on Civil Rights held a full day briefing on “Peer-to-Peer Violence and Bullying,” which included discussion of the violence and bullying faced by members of the LGBT community. HRC President Joe Solmonese submitted written testimony thanking the Commission for discussing this serious topic and for including the LGBT community in the discussion. The written statement also encouraged the Commission to continue to address the civil rights barriers that face the LGBT community.

This weekend, I joined up with the organizers in New York working to make marriage equality for all New Yorkers a reality. After touching ground on Thursday morning, we went right to SUNY Stony Brook, HRC Field Director Marty Rouse’s alma mater. Since working for HRC on MTV, I’ve been traveling to college campuses across the country talking to students about getting involved with politics, specifically the LGBT civil rights movement. This time, it was even more specific: marriage equality for all New Yorkers is close to passage and EVERY vote is crucial to making it a reality!!

On May 4, the New Hampshire State Senate voted unanimously to defend children from bullying by defeating a bill that would have rolled back anti-bullying protections for the state’s students. The bill had passed the New Hampshire House despite stripping protections from LGBT students and eliminating the ability of a school to address cyber bullying.

Today, HRC joined a coalition of organizations in support of Senator Harkin’s (D-IA) introduction of the “Successful, Safe, and Healthy Students Act of 2011” (SSHSA). SSHSA will authorize $1 billion in grants to States to develop comprehensive, data-driven and evidence-based programs that promote student health and wellness, prevent bullying, violence and drug use, and foster a positive school climate. In order to be grant eligible, local education agencies will have to establish policies to prohibit and prevent bullying and harassment of all students, including LGBT students.