04.29.08
Parents Of Murdered Gay Man Plead For Anti-Bully Law
Dozens of gays and lesbians converged on the Florida legislature to press lawmakers to enact a bill aimed at curbing bullying of LGBT students.
Statewide gay rights groups and a number of local organizations from across the state said they wanted to bring attention to the high rate of violent crimes against members of the LGBT community.
“[Hate crimes] begin as bullying in our schools,” said Brian Winfield of Equality Florida.
“We need to challenge that at the root level,” Winfield told The Ledger. “We believe firmly that if we address bullying in Florida schools, we will put a serious dent in tomorrow’s hate crimes.”
An anti-bullying bill has been approved unanimously by the House but is stalled in the Senate.
The appeal to enact the anti-bullying law comes on the heels of the National Day of Silence where students bring attention to anti-LGBT bullying and harassment in schools across the country.
A study released by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network in 2006 showed that homophobia is widespread in the nation’s schools.
Nearly one-in-five students reported they had been physically assaulted because of their sexual orientation and over a tenth because of their gender expression.
Three-quarters of students surveyed said that over the past year they heard derogatory remarks such as “faggot” or “dyke” frequently or often at school, and nearly nine out of ten reported hearing “that’s so gay” or “you’re so gay” - meaning stupid or worthless - frequently or often.
Over a third of students said they experienced physical harassment at school on the basis of sexual orientation and more than a quarter on the basis of their gender expression.
The study also showed that bullying has had a negative impact on learning.