Polis Introduces Youth Protection Bill

JARED POLIS 200910 X390 (GETTY) | ADVOCATE.COM

Rep. Jared Polis introduced a bill Wednesday to protect LGBT students against discrimination in schools.

The Student Non-Discrimination Act will mimic Title VI, which banned discrimination in schools against racial minorities, as well as Title IX, which similarly protected girls and women from being excluded from programs and scholastic opportunities on the basis of their gender. It currently has 60 original cosponsors.

“Every day innocent students fall victim to relentless harassment and discrimination from teachers, staff, and fellow students based on their sexual orientation,” Polis said in a statement. “These actions not only hurt our students and our schools but, left unchecked, can also lead to life-threatening violence.

“Hatred has no place in the classroom,” Polis added. “Every student has the right to an education free from harassment and violence. This bill will protect the individual freedoms of our students and enshrine the values of equality and opportunity in our classrooms.”

Christopher Anders of the American Civil Liberties Union said the bill was overdue. "Many LGBT students face harassment, discrimination, and sometimes violence in our schools. Our public schools should not be places of exclusion, but places where students feel safe and free from discrimination," he said in a statement.

More than 15 civil rights and education organizations are supporting the bill, including the ACLU, School Social Work Association of America, the Human Rights Campaign, and the Gay-Straight Alliance Network.

Polis, who is one of three openly gay Congress members, is a member of the House Education and Labor Committee as well as cochairman of the House LGBT Equality Caucus.

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Reader Comments

Back to top Post a Comment Report Abuse
Name: Randy
Date posted: 1/28/2010 2:19:22 AM
Hometown: West Hollywood

Comment:
CA has a law like this but on the Federal level would be great. The attitudes of my Junior and Senior High schools were, "since you choose to be gay or lesbian then you deserve what you get." It’s a bit better now but not entirely. I really enjoyed learning but my experience, and too many others, through Junior and Senior High was like being at war. Today we have some laws and zero-tolerance programs and people teaching tolerance but we have much more to do. Kids will bully and kids need to learn how to stand up for themselves and on their own, but adults also must look out that damage isn’t being done and provide a safe, learning environment. Kids are learning how to communicate as well and adults can help with that. Adults have to learn to work together even if we don’t like each other. Kids might as well learn this right away. This federal law will help, it's needed, but it doesn’t replace the social management.
Back to top Post a Comment Report Abuse
Name: Allen Young
Date posted: 1/28/2010 12:54:10 AM
Hometown: Royalston, MA

Comment:
I hope my Congressman, John Olver, is one of the supporters of this legislation. I feel the issue of the safety and well-being of GLBT youth should be number one, above gay marriage and DADT.

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