Michigan Senate Minority Leader
Gretchen Whitmer has said exceptions in an anti-bullying bill are
based on homophobia.
The bill, named after Matt Epling, a
gay teen who took his own life after being the target of bullies,
cleared the Republican-controlled Senate last week.
The anti-bullying bill neglects to
protect gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender teens and encourages
the bullying of gay students by creating exceptions based on
religious or moral convictions.
On the Senate floor, Whitmer accused
Republicans of crafting a “license to bully.”
“In fact, not only does this not
protect kids who are bullied, it further endangers them by
legitimizing excuses for tormenting a student,” she said.
During an appearance on MSNBC, Thomas
Roberts asked Whitmer what she believed Republicans were attempting
to achieve.
“They say they care about First
Amendment rights of speech, but we all know that no state can abridge
your freedom of speech under the United States Constitution. This is
a subterfuge, where I believe it is based on homophobia or, you know,
creating rights for people. What this is about is protecting all
kids. Every single kid in every walk of life. And that's who we
need to be thoughtful of as this legislation moves forward,” she
said. (The video is embedded in the right panel of this page.)