White House Endorses Anti-Bullying Legislation

Yesterday, on the National Day of Silence to recognize the impact of anti-LGBT bullying on school children all over the country, the White House endorsed two federal anti-bullying bills which aim to combat the practice and improve the lives of school-age kids who are bullied due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The pending bills the White House endorsed are the Student Non-Discrimination Act (S. 555) and the Safe Schools Improvement Act (S. 506).

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan also released a statement of support:

“Bullying can no longer be seen as a normal rite of passage. As a country, we must all work together to take action against bullying and improve the safety climates of our schools and communities. That's why I support the Student Non-Discrimination Act and the Safe Schools Improvement Act. I would like to thank Sen. Al Franken, Sen. Bob Casey, Rep. Jared Polis and Rep. Linda Sanchez for introducing these bills and for their commitment to putting an end to bullying, discrimination and harassment in our nation's schools. I also want to thank Rep. Danny Davis for his leadership on this issue to help keep every student safe and learning.”

Additionally, the White House screened the documentary Bully for anti-bullying advocates on Friday and launched a website called stopbullying.gov.