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dandaman6007
dandaman6007Sunday, June 21, 2009 at 10:44:00 PM EDT
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Bullying in schools is a huge problem, and GLBTQ people face violence, verbal abuse, and discrimination everyday in schools across North Carolina. There is a great organization called Equality NC, and they are working very hard to promote an anti-bullying bill called the School Violence Prevention Act. It which includes "gender identity or expression" and "sexual orientation" as reasons why you cant bully someone at school. Heres what they have to say on their website:
They have a video on their website that talks about the impact of bullying in NC:Bullying and harassment, including acts targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students, are an epidemic in our schools. Equality NC is part of Prevent School Violence NC, a coalition of groups working together to pass the School Violence Prevention Act (SB 526) and prevent bullying in our schools. We need your help to pass this important bill!
The School Violence Prevention Act aims to create a safe space in schools for all people, using the following launguage:
Bullying or harassing behavior includes, but is not limited to, acts reasonably perceived as being motivated by any actual or perceived differentiating characteristic, such as race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, socioeconomic status, academic status, gender identity or expression, physical appearance, sexual orientation, or mental, physical, developmental, or sensory disability, or by association with a person who has or is perceived to have one or more of these characteristics.Pam's House Blend, a progressive blog in NC, wrote about this bill as well. Pam posted this interview with Kat Gipson, a member of the GSA in Chapel Hill. She recounts the harrasment and violence that went through last year through because she was gay:
This kind of thing is all to common in schools, and we really need to stop this, NOW.
This bill is going to be voted on TODAY (June 22) at 7pm EST, and I ask that you click here to send an email to your representative asking him or her to vote YES on this bill.
The North Carolina Family Policy Council OPPOSES this bill.
I got an email from the NC Family Policy Council asking me to fight against the dangerous “homosexual agenda.” The email started like this:
Yes, you read that correctly. The Family Policy Council WANTS the school violence prevention act to fail-because it would expose people to “Homosexual concepts." Concepts like “it is NOT okay to bully someone because they are gay.”A bill that would expose millions of North Carolina children to homosexual concepts is scheduled for a vote in the North Carolina House of Representatives on Monday, June 22 at the 7:00 P.M. session. Please contact your Representatives NOW and ask them to vote AGAINST Senate Bill 526-School Violence Prevention Act.
This is their reason for not supporting the bill:
And if you care about your children, your grandchildren and future generations, you will take action now to stop this madness. There are some topics and policies over which reasonable people can disagree, but in this instance we are talking about the welfare of our children. Senate Bill 526 is a blatant attempt by adults to use our laws to help recruit the next generation of homosexuals. If you think this statement is harsh, consider this-homosexuals cannot reproduce.
Ten years ago, this statement completely stopped consideration of another pro-homosexual bill dead in its tracks in a Senate Committee. Because homosexuals cannot reproduce, they must have new recruits-just as the army cannot grow new soldiers, they must be recruited.
I read that twice, and I couldn’t believe it. They oppose this bill because they believe that people want to recruit a new generation of homosexuals? It made me angry, and I was shocked at the ignorance of these people. The NC family Policy council will never support gay marriage (read my post about that here), but they are also OPPOSE a bill titled “School Violence Prevention ACT. Opposing this bill could lead to increased bullying, and I don't know why anyone would be in favor of that. There is no "Homosexual agenda," just people who to create a safe space for GLBTQ youth in our schools. They come from a place of fear and hatred, and someone needs to point out how ridiculous this all it. How can they be opposed to preventing school violence? Crazy!
You can read the rest of their action alert here, but it will only make you angry.
We really do need the School Violence Prevention Act to pass in North Carolina, so please click here to send a letter to your representative.
Get email updates and action alerts:
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And the hatred that is coming from the Family Policy Council is just unimaginable. It makes absoluttely no sense. How could they be so cold?
Please keep us updated on this very important bill!!