Why I fought so hard for, and was so happy to see pass, an anti bullying bill in NC

[dsc]

Gays and everyone else, had one very large victory in the legislative session in NC this year. The Safe Schools Act of 2009 passed by one vote in both the House and Senate and was signed by our governor. It basicly stated that school districts had to prevent bullying and enemerated traits that make a child a target (race, sexual orientation, disability, etc). The reason it passed by only one vote was that sexual orientation was mentioned in the bill, a first for NC. It was a hard fought victory.

The fact is bullying is a problem that can lead to suicide. It does lead to feelings of shame and self hatred in those who are targets. Even at age 42 I can recall, in vivid detail, some of my worst days in elementary, middle and early high school. It took me until my sophomore year of college to be able to tell people about the real me for fear that all the names I was called then would follow me to college. As many of you know I am the faculty advisor for my school's GSA. You know what our first public event was, a memorial to Larry King, the kid killed in California. He died about a month after I took over the advisorship of the club.

I am proud of my state for passing this law. I am proud of the gay men and women of this state who helped fight for this law putting aside fights for laws protecting employment and housing to do so. Maybe the kids who get saved by this law are wimps, or as my gym teacher preferred wussies. All I know is this, if it saves one wimp it will have been worth it. If it leads to other laws in NC that protect on the basis of sexual orientation, then that is gravy because even if it doesn't, we did good. No amount of emails about what wimps we have become will make me change my mind.

[CreekDog]

1. Amen. That thread suggesting the suicidal are "wimps" is a travesty

more so when you see how many people jumped on the bandwagon to agree with the OP.

:rant:

[HBravo]

2. Good for you and for all

[Lilith Velkor]

27. Welcome to DU

:hi:

[bigwillq]

3. K and R

Thanks for posting. :hi:

[Ken Burch]

4. Were there people fighting AGAINST the bill?

We actually had a knuckledragger named Carl Gatto fighting against an antibullying bill in the Alaska legislature because he felt facing bullies helps kids build character.

You see a lot of people go into politics because it gives them a chance to bully more people than they could beat up on a thousand playgrounds.

[dsc]

9. It passed by one vote in each house

not a single Republican voted for the bill and a few Democrats in each chamber voted against. Largely due to gays being enumerated as a class, had we been left out I doubt more than one or two in each chamber would have opposed.

[Ken Burch]

16. Well, this points out something I started a thread on years ago in ANOTHER message board

Which is that bullies are an essential element in building a conservative, conformist society, and that this is the reason the authorities that run our school systems will always be reluctant to try to eradicate bullying.

Bully culture teaches the lesson that the violent and the aggressive are the natural rulers. It teaches that those who are different have no right to be different. And the only resistance to bullying that bully culture tolerates is violent resistance, which then tranforms the person who resists into another bully and thus reinforces the notion of rule by violence.

And homophobia is a crucial aspect of all of this, because in inflicting violence against those believed to be gay, and in constantly forcing those who aren't to PROVE that they aren't(which they are usually required to do by bullying others or by exhibiting rapist-like behavior towards girls and women), not because they are concerned so much with sexual orientation itself but rather with the notion that non-bully values(cooperation rather than confrontation and coercion, respect rather than contempt for all, acceptance of everyone's right to go through their lives without either living in fear or living to inspire fear)that are associated in the minds of bullies with gay people might eventually be adopted by the majority, thus leaving the bullies irrelevant and powerless.

(Which is not to say, of course, that gays and lesbians are not the primary victims of this mindset, but simply to point out that other factors are in play as well.)

[Nikki Stone1]

15. There's a difference between facing down one bad guy and having to deal with many shouts of "fag!"

from all over the place.

Bravo on this bill.

[Ken Burch]

17. Of course there's a difference between the two things you listed

I never meant to imply otherwise. I'm glad the bill passed. I was also talking(and go into further detail in another post further down the thread)about the larger role that what I term "bully culture" plays in this society.

[Nikki Stone1]

21. You didn't imply otherwise. I was responding to the knuckledragger's argument

I got the impression that you supported the bill.

[Ken Burch]

22. I did. And you're right.

Gatto is an embodiment of the worst of this country's values.

[blondeatlast]

5. Congratulations and kudos to those who supported this. k/r/nt

[stevedeshazer]

6. Recommended.

Your story is mine.

:)

[G_j]

7. thank you

:thumbsup:

[KamaAina]

8. As a disability activist and big-time LGBT supporter,

it gratified me no end to see the two groups working hand in hand to get this (barely!) done. :thumbsup:

[dsc]

11. they were instrumental in getting it passed

if they had deserted us over the gay issue we would have been dead ducks.

[StarfarerBill]

10. Well done! K&R

[carolinayellowdog]

12. Great news, thanks for sharing

My primary school and high school experiences were by and large wonderful. But junior high was such a nightmare that the trauma is still all too easy to recall. Had the same kind of peer abuse lasted ten years like yours rather than two like mine, I can only imagine the damage that would have been done.

[Little Star]

13. k&r

[Starry Messenger]

14. Well done NC and dsc.

That must be a relief and a great sense of achievement. :thumbsup:

[caitxrawks]

18. awesome, i'm from NC.

Thanks for doing all you do. I was bullied in school because I was the "fat kid". People were so cruel. Now it's kinda funny, I'm "friends" with nearly all of them on Facebook. I sometimes wonder if they remember the things they said to me. One second was all it took for them to scar me forever. It's good to know that there are still good people in my home state.

[seeinfweggos]

19. good news

so some took the "i'm against bullying, unless you bully lgbt kids"?

nice

[seeinfweggos]

20. self delete dupe

[Bluenorthwest]

23. Congratulations to you and your great State!

North Carolina is home to some of my favorite people, gay and straight, young and old. Including kids in school. Thanks for all your work on this important issue!

[Political_Junkie]

24. Good for you!

That is something to be proud of!
:applause:

[Vidar]

25. Well done. Recommended.

[HillbillyBob]

26. From gay NC resident Thank You.

I did not grow up in NC, but I got bullied in WV.

[Pithlet]

28. That's great!

Progress marches on. :woohoo:

[varelse]

29. good for you, and for your state

you are right to be proud of this :)