An Important Call to Action: Stop the Super-Religious Right from Killing the NC Bullying Bill!
Last year, when I worked for the North Carolina General Assembly, a very interesting bill came through the House and Senate. It was a bill to regulate bullying policies set by schools across North Carolina, and it went through the House with “sexual orientation” wording intact. It was one of several “enumerated categories” of victims. The Senate, however, stripped the bill then voted it down, so it died. It was sad. I had a personal funeral for the bill in my mind.
It died for a very specific reason…the crazy religious freaks have their followers on lockdown! They send out an action alert, and guess what? People follow their call in droves, and suddenly there are thousands of emails/phone calls/letters flooding legislator’s offices, scaring them into thinking that they can’t win their districts by taking a supportive role for gay and straight kids! It’s disgusting!
We, on the other hand, know that we’re on the right side of this issue, and we expect our elected officials to make the obvious “right” decision. But all elected officials are self interested, at least to some degree. So it’s vitally important that people like you and me let our elected officials know how we feel!
So, this year the same bill made it through the Senate, and Wednesday it’s expected to be voted on the House floor. Contrary to what I was expecting, there’s a chance that the bill doesn’t have the votes to pass. Social Conservatives, both Republican and Democrat, have been fighting HARD to kill this bill. You need to call your Representatives (NOT your Senators, they’ve already voted for it! ) and tell them how important it is. Don’t think that just because your representative is a Democrat you’re safe!
You can find out who your State Representative is by going to http://www.votesmart.org. Tell them you support the School Violence Prevention Act for the protection of ALL students, and tell them that studies from peer-reviewed research journals has consistently proven that the bill doesn’t work when enumerated categories are not included, because school administrators don’t know how to properly apply the policy. Refer to the following information from Equality NC (http://www.equalitync.org):
- Here are some key reasons to support the School Violence Prevention Act.
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- Students have a right to a sound, basic education, but too often bullying and harassment interfere with that right.
- Bullying that goes unaddressed also contributes to more severe violence, like school shootings. A study by the U.S. Secret Service indicates that a history of bullying was a factor in three-quarters of school shootings in recent years.
- Because they feel unsafe, victimized youth are pushed out of schools and into high-risk behavior. These youth are more likely to skip school, drop out, engage in substance abuse, or worse.
- Every student deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Physical appearance, sexual orientation, and gender identity are the three most frequent reasons for bullying and harassment in schools, yet these types of bullying are often overlooked by school personnel.
- This bill protects ALL students from bullying, and its inclusion of enumerated categories will provide clear direction to teachers, administrators, and students about the scope of the law. Teachers want clear policies that will give them the backing they need to address problems in the classroom and on the playground.
- While harassment of any kind is unacceptable and should be dealt with quickly, firmly, and with appropriate consequences and remedies, certain groups of people have suffered systematic institutional prejudice, and discrimination and as a result are at a disproportionate risk of being the target of harassment and violence.
IMPORTANT NOTE: You need to call before noon, because if you don’t then they’re probably already in session and won’t hear your concerns until they get out.
Come on apathetic advocates!!! Get off your butts and let them know how you feel!
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About Chardon Moore:
Chardon Moore is a political junkie, LGBT ally, and the webmistress of LiberalMartyr.com. She’s been a human and civil rights activist for over a decade, as well as working in broadcast media, academia, and state government.
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