Anti-gay bullying may cost schools U.S. funds

[Hepburn]

Schools that fail to address the bullying of gay students may lose U.S. funds for not enforcing gender-discrimination laws, the federal Education Department said.

Federal officials for the first time encouraged schools to address such behavior as harassment using civil-rights statutes enacted from 1964 to 1990 that protect students from discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, disability or gender, the department said Tuesday.

The announcement clarifies that protections extend to gay, lesbian, and transgender students who are harassed for "failing to conform to sex stereotypes," Russlynn Ali, the assistant education secretary for civil rights, said during a conference call. "We are not creating new policy," she said.

Courts have held that gender stereotyping of gay people may be a violation of civil-rights law, Ali said.

http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/10/26/2579166/anti-gay-bullying-may-cost-schools.html

Excellent start. I hope it is not just retortic and that this is truly, completely and effectively enforced.

[dkf]

1. Well why don't they create new laws?

Where are the vulnerabilities if this definition doesn't mass muster?

[Smarmie Doofus]

2. Interesting. Will Bloomberg News bother to tell Bloomberg?

He's been in charge of NYC school system for the last 9 years and the vast majority of schools... including my own....do not acknowledge the *existence* of glbt kids... much less have anti glbt bullying programs in place.

And Bloomberg is so tight w. Duncan , Obama, and presumably nat'l DOE. Hmmm. What gives?


>>>> I hope it is not just retortic and that this is truly, completely and effectively enforced.>>>>

Me too. Hope springs eternal. But realistically, if it were more than rhetoric we likely would have seen something concrete being done by now.

[Hepburn]

3. I don't understand why any school allows any kind of bullying.

This has become sooooo out of hand ~~ especially where GLBT children are concerned. One would think that with the recent suicides that there would be a horrific move to protect all children from the kind of sick bullying and that goes on. There simply is NO excuse for those who in authority who have the duty to protect children to so miserably fail at this duty.

[Smarmie Doofus]

5. Teachers will say that the really "serious" bullying ...

... goes on outside their presence. That's not entirely untrue.

But I hear kids gay-bashing each other ALL THE TIME and no one ever corrects them directly on that. At least not that I ever hear.

Bullying 's a complex issue. Put a bunch of middle school- age males together and I guarantee you that there will be a Darwinian style pecking order in full force within two days. However... the result is usually not fatal to those at the bottom. Homophobia mixes in here to a degree as this is perceived around here anyway as the consummate insult. Straight kids hurl that aprticular accusation at each other with abandon for maximum effect. ( e.g. beats out" you're fat, dumb, ugly, " and all the rest.).

Problem is: lots of kids... roughly 10%... ARE gay. Being gay is an incredibly complicated "place" to be psychologically for a kid. More complicated, I'd wager, than "dumb, ugly or fat". There's a lack of info available to the kid. There's no support from the family. And of course... like all other kids, he's preoccupied with one ultimate concern: HOW DO I FIT IN?

I think in combo, this is why homophobic "bulllying" ( don't like the word; doesn't do justuce to the destructiveness of the phenomenon ) is so LETHAL. And this is why explicit education... not just re. bullying.. but about sexuality and HOMOSEXUALITY... not just for the "victims" but also... and maybe ESPECIALLY.... for the perpetrators, and POTENTIAL perpetrators....is so KEY.

So, Bloomberg, Duncan?: We're still here. We're still waiting.

[CoffeeCat]

4. I am scared for my two girls...

Next year, my oldest daughter will enter junior high. I have heard horror story after horror story about
how brutal this junior high is. We live in a nice suburb, and there are lots of affluent people who
spend a lot of time making money and neglecting their kids. These kids turn up angry with a profound sense
of entitlement.

I keep searching this Title Nine verbiage for some sign that my girls would be protected against bullying.

I'm not finding anything.

I just don't understand why we can't have Federal Laws against ALL bullying. Seriously. Don't our children
deserve to go to school and feel safe? Don't our children deserve to go to school and be free of verbal abuse,
trauma and assault and battery?

Jesus, I feel like our schools are some kind of twisted free-for-all, where abusers can have as much fun as
they want--with no legal repercussions and no consequences if they psychologically, emotionally and physically
abuse others, as they wish.

If adults repeatedly harass someone--we call that stalking. If adults hit, push or kick--that's called assault
and battery. Why on earth do bullies get away with these crimes? It's sickening that there are no legal
consequences, and that there are barely any consequences within the school.

Why can't they make Federal laws against bullying and strictly hold schools accountable. Our government could
have training and officials meet with principals and teachers to discuss stricter rules. WE could eradicate
this, if principals and teachers would have an assembly the first day of school and announce that bullying
will not be tolerated, and that students found doing so will be expelled (three strikes and you're out).

That would end a lot of it.

This is a very upsetting issue for me, and I hope the government truly takes seriously this issue!