Iowa governor
signs antibullying measure

Iowa governor Chet Culver, a Democrat, signed an antibullying measure into law on Monday that will protect the state's students from harassment and intimidation over their sexual orientation or gender identification.

The law also protects students from harassment based on race or gender, but the LGBT aspects of the measure sparked the most controversy.

"Now that we have the policy, we must all work together to give our educators and administrators the training and tools necessary to eliminate bullying in our schools forever," Culver said in a statement accompanying his signature.

The measure establishes a state policy barring school employees, volunteers, and students from harassing or bullying students, and it also requires school administrators to file reports about incidents involving harassment.

The measure was hailed by the LGBT advocacy group Iowa Pride Network, which in a survey found that 83% of openly gay students were harassed because of their sexual orientation. (The Advocate)