But that all changed on a school trip when another student
found out and spread the word. Immediately, the harassment began.
Kyrstin's property was vandalized, and students called her
names and pushed her around in the hallway. Several times, Kyrstin was
threatened and told she should kill herself and that the world would be a
better place without her.
Kyrstin started skipping school. She was bullied on social
media. She reported the torment to her teachers and the principal. Their
response? Sadly, but not unexpectedly: Keep your head down and don't be so open
about your sexual orientation.
After two years enduring the bullying, shortly after her
18th birthday, Kyrstin attempted suicide. While recovering, she met other LGBT
youth who also faced relentless harassment simply for who they are. Eventually,
she finished her education online, became an advocate in the LGBT community,
and even helped out with Franken's Senate campaign.
Kyrstin made it, but not every LGBT kid does. In May, after
facing years of bullying at schools in Wyoming and California, 16-year-old Adam
Kizer took his own life. His family has spoken openly about the bisexual teen's
struggle with depression and post-traumatic stress. Like many LGBT students,
Adam felt there was nowhere for him to go.
It's our responsibility as adults to protect all children.
And we know that a significant number of young people across the country are
being bullied for their sexual orientation or gender identity. In fact,
according to the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, more than 30% of
LGBT kids report missing a day of school in the previous month because they
felt unsafe.
On top of that, 25% of LGBT students have been physically
hurt by another student because of their sexual orientation, 55% of transgender
students report physical attacks based on their gender identity or gender
expression, and 28% of LGBT youth drop out of school because of harassment.
These are staggering statistics, and they underscore two
important things. First, it's nearly impossible for a student to learn if he or
she is afraid to go to school. And second, we need to take action.
Current civil rights laws protect children from bullying due
to race, sex, religion, disability, and national origin. What's missing? The
same rights for LGBT kids. Inexcusably, there is still no federal law that
explicitly prohibits the bullying of kids based on real or perceived sexual
orientation or gender identity. That's wrong, and it's long past time we do
something about it.
This week, Congress is taking up a comprehensive bill to
overhaul the No Child Left Behind Act, the major federal education law. As the
Senate debates the bill, we're going to fight to include a measure Franken has
been working on for years to establish statutory protections against
discrimination in public schools based on a student's actual or perceived
sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Student Non-Discrimination Act would forbid schools from
discriminating against LGBT students or ignoring harassing behavior. It says
that a school has to listen — and do something — when a parent says "my
child isn't safe" or a student bravely reports problems.
Every day, LGBT students are subjected to harassment,
bullying, intimidation and violence. Many are afraid to go to school, and even
when they do, they are often more focused on their personal safety and mental
well-being than on their studies. I, Randi Weingarten, remember so well being
scared to death to come out when I was a teenager. I wish the measure Franken
is proposing now was on the books back then. I was lucky. I navigated the
loneliness and the fear. Others are not so lucky.
Over the past few years we've made great strides toward
equality for LGBT Americans. Just two weeks ago, the U.S. Supreme Court
announced the landmark ruling that same-sex couples have the right to marry in
all 50 states. Despite this huge victory, we need to keep fighting.
In America, it is illegal to bully a child because of his or
her race, ethnicity or disability. Let's extend those protections to our LGBT
students, who are among the most bullied. Not only is it commonsense — it's the
right thing to do.
The initialisms LGBT or GLBT are not agreeable to everyone
that they encompass.[71] For example, some argue that transgender and
transsexual causes are not the same as that of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB)
people.[72] This argument centers on the idea that transgender and
transsexuality have to do with gender identity, or a person's understanding of
being or not being a man or a woman irrespective of their sexual orientation.[28]
LGB issues can be seen as a matter of sexual orientation or attraction.[28]
These distinctions have been made in the context of political action in which
LGB goals, such as same-sex marriage legislation and human rights work not
including transgender and intersex people, may be perceived to differ from
transgender and transsexual goals.
