enacting stronger bullying and harassment laws today. In the past
few weeks, both the Senate and House committees responsible for
education policy have taken testimony and, as of this morning,
voted YES on the “Minnesota Safe Schools for All Bill,” developed
by Family
Equality Council and OutFront Minnesota, in coalition with +35 diverse
community groups. Now we move to the full Senate and House!
The work gets tougher from here on out, which is why we need your
support to pass this important bill. Right now, 93% of Minnesota
school districts do not protect against bullying and harassment
based on sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, and
association with people who are targeted because of their sexual
orientation and gender identity/expression. The “Minnesota Safe
Schools for All Bill” changes that, strengthening existing laws by
making protections and remedies clearer for students, parents,
administrators and staff. What could possibly be wrong with
that?
Well, if you’re asking the Minnesota Family Council, an anti-LGBT
group opposing the bill, it’s wrong to conduct research to find out whether existing
protections work, and then, upon finding that they do not
work, pass a law to improve them.
The Minnesota Family Council is rallying its supporters and talking
to the media to spin this bill as best they can. Their tired
arguments of “indoctrination” and “intimidation” don’t stick
anymore. Average Americans know that all students deserve
to learn in safe environments, that all students do better in
school when they’re not worried about the next kick, punch, or
swear.
In an attempt to scare people into opposing this bill, the
Minnesota Family Council is sending emails to its
membership claiming falsehoods to be true.
They even quote Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., saying “Our lives
begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
While I agree with the sentiment, I wonder what Dr. King, whose
close advisor, Bayard Rustin, was an openly gay African-American
man, would say about a group opposed to strengthening protections
for young people “on the basis of, but not limited
to, [their] actual or perceived race, color, creed,
religion, national origin, sex, marital status, disability,
socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity and
expression, age, and physical characteristics, and association with
a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived
characteristics.”
Stay tuned for more opportunities to help support the
“Minnesota Safe Schools for All Bill.” Click here to download a fact sheet on the
bill.