(Under Pressure from Obama Administration) Fort Worth ISD Bans Gender Identity Bullying

[McCamy Taylor]

Two years after the Rainbow Lounge incident, in which government employees brutalized patrons of a Fort Worth gay bar, the Fort Worth Independent School District has banned bullying of students who choose to express their gender identity in their own way.

http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/06/29/3189815/fort-worth-school-district-expands.html

Not everyone is happy with the move. The article above quotes Pat Carlson, president of the Texas Eagle Forum as saying:

"I have to wonder, where does this stop?" Carlson said. "What about those students that are Christian students ... and there is a boy that comes dressed as a girl?"

To which the obvious reply is “this will give Christian students an excellent chance to express their Christianity by treating their fellow students with tolerance and understanding.” A great deal of bullying is driven by peer pressure. Some school kids are afraid not to join the pack for fear of being ostracized themselves. Now Christian---and Muslim and atheist and all other students---will be free to express themselves in their own way and not that of the class bully, who is going to find himself banned from regular classrooms until he (or she) learns to act in a civilized way.

The article attributes this chance of policy (in part) to U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan who recently wrote the nation’s school leaders saying:

Harassment and bullying are serious problems in our schools, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students are the targets of disproportionate shares of these problems. Thirty-two percent of students aged 12-18 experienced verbal or physical bullying during the 2007-2008 school year; and, according to a recent survey, more than 90 percent of LGBT students in grades 6 through 12 reported being verbally harassed — and almost half reported being physically harassed — during the 2008-2009 school year. High levels of harassment and bullying correlate with poorer educational outcomes, lower future aspirations, frequent school absenteeism, and lower grade-point averages. Recent tragedies involving LGBT students and students perceived to be LGBT only underscore the need for safer schools.

http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2011/06/14/arne-duncan-to-nations-schools-dont-outlaw-gay-straight-support-groups/

I was quite surprised to read in the Star Telegram article that the Education Department has threatened to withhold federal funds from schools which do not give all students the equal protection to which they are entitled under the law. I have heard so many people complain lately that the Obama Administration is “the same as” the Bush Administration. For those who do not know what the latest RNC policy is towards GLBT, here is a summary from April, 2011.

Sadly, the anti-gay propaganda of Christianist hate groups is slowly but surely spreading to the Republican National Committee. I guess one should not be surprised inasmuch as the GOP has basically become a quasi-religious party controlled, of course, by conservative religious extremists best defined by who they hate. And is always is the case, gays are one of the favorite bogey men to be paraded out as a threat to society and America in general.

http://michael-in-norfolk.blogspot.com/2011/04/rnc-joins-hate-groups-in-anti-gay.html

But please, don’t let me distract you from your latest “Obama is the same as a Republican” rant. I am sure that city of Fort Worth would have adopted the exact same policy if Michele Bachmann were president.

On a leader of a teacher training workshop who cites discrimination as a cause of suicide among homosexual youth: “(He) also fails to acknowledge other psychological factors that could contribute to homosexual youth committing suicide, like family problems or abuse or maybe the fact of what they’re doing.” — Senator Michele Bachmann, speaking at EdWatch National Education Conference, November 6, 2004.

http://www.thebachmannrecord.com/thebachmannrecod.html

[okieinpain]

1. man I wish we had a democratic president.

:sarcasm:

[madrchsod]

2. bachmann`s husband runs a christian "reconversion" clinic

his clinic received federal money.miller was discussing this today during her radio show. she played a recording of him explaining his work. of course mamma and here crew they were making fun of his voice...kind of like a creepy preacher that`s been in the closet way to long.

i will give credit to obama for taking on this issue in this climate.

[Tarheel_Dem]

3. You do know that this won't get 300 recs like some others, but thanks for posting. (nt)

[luv_mykatz]

4. K & R