The
Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, today praised the
settlement reached between the federal government, LGBT students, and
the Anoka-Hennepin School District in Minnesota, resolving complaints of
sex- and sexual orientation- based harassment of students. The
resolution is due to incredible work by the U.S. Departments of Justice
and Education and the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the
Southern Poverty Law Center that represented six student plaintiffs.
“This settlement is a wakeup call for school districts that are
ignoring bullying and harassment of LGBT students,” said HRC President
Joe Solmonese. “These schools must change their ways. As a community,
we are making great progress on Capitol Hill and in state houses across
the country, but that doesn’t always translate to easier lives for LGBT
students. We must address bullying and harassment early to prevent these
tragedies.”
The consent decree requires the district to take steps to prevent and
address bullying experienced by LGBT students, including the appointment
of an Equity Coordinator to ensure proper implementation of the
district’s sexual orientation-based harassment policies and procedures.
While the consent decree requires the district to revise its dangerous
gag policy, which barred teachers and administrators from addressing
sexual orientation and gender identity, the school district revised this
policy in mid-February.
Through its “Welcoming Schools” program, the HRC Foundation provides a
comprehensive guide for elementary schools with tools, lessons, and
resources to embrace family diversity, avoid gender stereotyping, and
end bullying and name-calling. Currently, 74 schools in 24 school
districts across the country are implementing the Welcoming Schools
program. For more information, visit www.welcomingschools.org.
“We need a comprehensive approach to dealing with bullying and
harassment beginning with an LGBT-inclusive approach appropriate for
early age groups,” said Solmonese. “We encourage schools to begin to
address these issues with our Welcoming Schools program that has shown
success in districts across the country.”
Over 85 percent of LGBT students report being harassed because of their
sexual or gender identity and the suicide rate for LGBT students
continues to be three to four times higher than that of their straight
counterparts. Currently only 14 states have enacted laws prohibiting
harassment and/or bullying of elementary and high school students based
on sexual orientation and gender identity. Thirty others have laws
prohibiting bullying in schools but list no categories of protection.
Last week, hundreds of HRC members went to the U.S. Capitol to advocate
for passage of both the Safe Schools Improvement Act and the Student
Non-Discrimination Act, bills that address bullying and harassment in
our nation’s schools.