The White House held their Bully Prevention Summit today. Why the federal government feels the need to interject itself into the schoolyard bullying issue is beyond me. What is even more troubling is how it has focused on bullying with LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered) students. Looking at the website administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, on their page about LGBT bullying they say:
If you experience bullying or violence because you are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT), or others think you are LGBT, remember that you:
They also say that these students have a right to have a “supportive home, community and school environment.” Exactly what is meant by that? Agreement with their lifestyle or true tolerance. Let me be clear I am against these students being bullied. I am against ALL students being bullied. This is an area the Federal government shouldn’t even be delving into, but since it has why not just be against bullying all together? Why just focus on LGBT students? Perhaps because there is a larger agenda at play here.
Peter LaBarbera, President of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality said that school administrators can stop bullying without promoting homosexuality:
Schools administrators and teachers must ensure a safe and protective learning environment for all students, but they can do so without injecting divisive ‘sexual orientation’ and radical ‘transgender’ politics into the classroom. There is a real danger that “anti-bullying” policies will be used to curtail any speech in schools critical of homosexuality, and create curricula that discriminate against religious students who believe homosexual behavior is morally wrong.
But that is not what this conference promotes in fact they recommended more state laws, GLSEN or discussion groups, school policies that specifically mention sexual orientation/gender identity, and programming/curriculum for students.
How about this, let’s not define victims. The current “Safe Schools Improvement Act” reintroduced by Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) on Tuesday actually goes further than most state bullying laws (only 16 states specifically mention these students and 33 states have passed legislation that does not specifically identify these students), and it further expands the Federal government’s reach into our schools as the pro-Homosexual Washington Blade reports:
A U.S. senator from Pennsylvania on Tuesday reintroduced legislation aimed at thwarting the bullying of LGBT students with a new provision geared toward protecting against harassment via the Internet.
Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) introduced the bill, which is dubbed the Safe Schools Improvement Act. Joining him as an original co-sponsor is Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) as well as 18 other members of the Senate Democratic caucus…
…If the legislation were to pass, schools that receive federal funding would have to establish codes of conduct explicitly prohibiting bullying and harassment. Additionally, the bill would require states to collect data on incidents of bullying and report the information to the Department of Education, which will make the data available to parents and local communities.
Parents, schools and communities should condemn bullying in all its forms without giving any one group special victim status.
You can read a copy of the “Safe Schools Improvement Act” below: