President Barack Obama on Friday
endorsed two gay-inclusive anti-bullying bills: the Safe Schools
Improvement Act (SSIA) and the Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA).
White House spokesman Shin Inouye told
gay weekly Metro
Weekly in a statement: “The President and his
Administration have taken many steps to address the issue of
bullying. He is proud to support the Student Non-Discrimination Act,
introduced by Senator Franken and Congressman Polis, and the Safe
Schools Improvement Act, introduced by Senator Casey and
Congresswoman Linda Sanchez. These bills will help ensure that all
students are safe and healthy and can learn in environments free from
discrimination, bullying and harassment.”
The Student Non-Discrimination Act
would outlaw discrimination against students on the basis of sexual
orientation and gender identity, while the Safe Schools Improvement
Act would amend the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act to
include bullying-prevention programs.
“LGBT kids really do need [more]
protection. They're two or three times more likely than straight
kids to get bullied. Nine in ten LGBT students said they've been
bullied or harassed and almost two-thirds say they don't feel safe in
school,” Minnesota Congressman Al Franken recently said of his
bill.
Reacting to the endorsement, the Human
Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest gay rights advocate, said
in a statement: “The President's endorsement of the SNDA and SSIA
recognizes the importance of providing LGBT students with the same
civil rights protections as other students,” said HRC President Joe
Solmonese. “No student should feel scared when walking into their
school and these bills would address the discrimination and bullying
that our youth have endured for far too long.”
Colorado Congressman Jarred Polis also
applauded the president.
“This endorsement is an enormous step
forward for equality, but on a human level it is about the right of
any student in America to attend school and learn without the fear of
being bullied,” he said.