Progressive Voices

Lately it seems no more than a couple of weeks go by without another story of the horrible consequences of school bullying hitting the news.

The latest is the story of a 13 year-old boy in Tampa, Florida who was repeatedly bullied and sexually assaulted with a broom handle and a hockey stick. He finally found the courage to come forward after weeks of harassment and ask his teachers for protection.

The only good to be found in this story is that his school swung into action to address the situation.  Others haven't been so lucky.

On April 6, Carl Walker-Hoover, an 11 year-old, hung himself after enduring months of anti-gay taunting at his Massachusetts school. His mother found him when he didn't come down for dinner and had to cut his body down.

On April 16, Jaheem Herrera, another 11 year-old boy, couldn't take any more of the anti-gay harassment he faced at his Atlanta school and also hung himself.

Bullying is literally harming and even killing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) kids-and kids that are just perceived by their peers to be LGBT-in schools across the country.

Anti-gay bullying is no less of a problem here in North Carolina. We're hearing similar stories all too often:

The kid who drops out of school out of fear for his safety; the kid who turns to drugs and alcohol to cope with the pain of daily harassment; the kid who asks for help and is told to toughen up.

Some legislators seem to believe that our current policies work and that teachers can be counted on to intervene. I wish it were true, but we know that sometimes schools turn a blind eye, especially when the victim belongs to an unpopular minority.

Jaheem and Carl's mothers complained repeatedly to school officials, but nothing was done.

The same thing happens here in our state.  Legislators need look no further for the truth than their own colleague, Rep. Earlene Parmon.

When the School Violence Prevention Act, a bill to implement strong anti-bullying policies, was first debated in the North Carolina House two years ago, she told a powerful story from her days as a teacher. She saw a child who others perceived to be gay being beaten up while a teacher looked on without intervening.

After Parmon handled the situation and helped the victim, she confronted the other teacher on her inaction. The teacher's defense? The child she was supposed to be protecting "needed to have a man made out of him."

That kind of indifference is shocking, but all too common.

This year legislators are again trying to pass the School Violence Prevention Act. The state Senate passed it on May 6, and the measure is headed to the House for consideration in the coming weeks.

The bill is based on years of research into what kinds of policies make the most difference when it comes to protecting every child. That research has shown that the most effective policies clearly protect all students and list motivating characteristics like race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and other factors that are common reasons for bullying.

These policies send a clear message: no bullying is acceptable, and adults must intervene.

In North Carolina, a handful of school districts have already adopted these policies. According to Harris Interactive research, their students report feeling safer, being more likely to report bullying when it happens, and being less likely to skip school due to fear of violence.

Despite the evidence, some legislators and so-called "family" groups oppose this legislation because they don't want sexual orientation included. They invoke the name of Christ as they block efforts to make gay kids-and all kids-safer in school.

They are willing to sacrifice kids like Jaheem, Carl, and that 13 year-old boy in Tampa because gay children don't fit in with their religious interpretation.

It's time for legislators to listen to students who are crying out for help instead of "pro-family" groups that don't seem concerned about kids who are suffering. Let's put politics aside and pass the School Violence Prevention Act for the safety of all children.

Ian Palmquist is Executive Director of Equality North Carolina, a statewide organization working to secure equal rights and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender North Carolinians.

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This entry was posted on Friday, May 22nd, 2009 at 11:35 am and is filed under Progressive Voices. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.