Policymakers Taking Anti-LGBT Bullying Seriously

By Shawn Dye, a summer intern

How many times have you heard that grade school bullying is all fun and games?

Some people are quick to characterize bullying incidents related to LGBT students as a common “rite of passage.” But oftentimes those who aren’t living the experience of a young LGBT student fail to comprehend the total damage and suffering that these students endure every day. This despite the fact that cases of bullying, harassment and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation have taken the media by storm, especially within the last decade.

Did you know that approximately nine out of 10 students identifying as LGBT report harassment and two out of three students don’t feel safe at school? Should we sit idle and let this so-called “rite of passage” interfere with the education and livelihoods of millions of students across the country?

After attending a recent Senate briefing on Safe and Healthy Schools, I felt confident that leaders in Congress were beginning to pick up on the importance of this issue and address it from a policy standpoint. Senators Al Franken, D. Minn., and Robert Casey, D. Pa., for example, have been proactive in introducing the Student Non-Discrimination Act and the Safe Schools Improvement Act, respectively. Both bills, if passed, will provide greater protection for LGBT students in public schools.

Also, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recently wrote a “Dear Colleague” letter to schools and state departments of education, informing them of their responsibility to ensure protection for students identifying as LGBT. In addition to the letter, the Department of Education released legal guidelines and provisions to the Equal Access Act, which broadly grants equal treatment to “noncurriculum related student groups,” targeting Gay-Straight Alliances.

I think these are necessary steps in the right direction of equality and protection for members of the LGBT community. However, we must keep in mind the larger struggle ahead of us in providing equal opportunity to every student in the United States.