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SOURCE: AP/Richard Drew
Megan
Wakerley, left, case manager at the Ali Forney Center, relocated inside
the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Center because of
Superstorm Sandy, conducts an interview in New York, Wednesday, November
14, 2012.
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Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) released an education bill today that included a number of reforms from the Student Non-Discrimination Act,
or SNDA, which are designed to reduce incidents of bullying in schools.
Spearheaded by Sen. Al Franken (D-MN)* and modeled after Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972,
SNDA would establish the right to an education free of harassment on
the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in primary and
secondary schools. Moreover, if signed into law, the bill would allow
students who have been bullied to seek legal recourse, and it would
authorize the federal government to withhold federal funds from schools
that condone the bullying of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, or
LGBT, students.
SNDA is not only important because it addresses the widespread
epidemic of bullying, but also because it would be a critical first step
to curtailing some of the grimmest disparities associated with
discrimination at such a young age—namely LGBT youth homelessness.
Consider this: Although LGBT youth comprise 5 percent to 7 percent of overall youth, an overwhelming 40 percent of all homeless youth are LGBT. Family rejection is the leading cause of homelessness among these youth, but an additional 26 percent
leave home because they feel they have nowhere else to turn, which is
only plausible when their schools and peers are hostile to LGBT
students. Moreover, harassment and discrimination in schools exacerbate
family conflicts over a youth’s sexual orientation or gender identity
and increase the chance of homelessness.
In addition to ensuring that schools are safe and inclusive spaces for all students regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity by passing SNDA, Congress can also help prevent LGBT youth homelessness by directing existing homeless-youth programs to specifically target LGBT youth and exploring new options to lower the number of LGBT youth living on the street. Here are three other bills members of Congress can enact this year that would help keep LGBT youth off the streets.
In addition to ensuring that schools are safe and inclusive spaces for all students regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity by passing SNDA, Congress can also help prevent LGBT youth homelessness by directing existing homeless-youth programs to specifically target LGBT youth and exploring new options to lower the number of LGBT youth living on the street. Here are three other bills members of Congress can enact this year that would help keep LGBT youth off the streets.
Pass the Safe Schools Improvement Act
The Safe Schools Improvement Act, or SSIA, would require schools
receiving federal funding to implement policies to ban bullying,
including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. It
would also require states to report bullying and harassment data to the
U.S. Department of Education. Sens. Robert Casey (D-PA) and Mark Kirk
(R-IL) introduced the bill in the Senate and Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) introduced the bill in the House earlier this year.
