CONGRESS LOOKS TO DEFEND LGBT STUDENTS’ RIGHTSÂ
Legislation designed to help protect public school students from bullying, harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity was introduced in the U.S. House and Senate on Feb. 10. The Student Non- Discrimination Act was led by Reps. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.)
“Every single child deserves a quality education that is free from discrimination and prepares them for college and a career,” Rep. Polis said in a press release. “It’s simply unacceptable that in 2015, there are thousands of students who face bullying and harassment every day when they get to school simply because of their sexual orientation or their gender identity.”
The legislation, which was modeled after Title IX, the bill protecting women’s rights to equal opportunities in education, would establish federal prohibitions against discriminating against public school students on the basis of, or perception of, sexual orientation or gender identity. Schools are also prohibited from discriminating against or failing to respond to harassment of LGBT students. Schools that fail to follow these guidelines, like those that fail to meet Title IX requirements, would be at risk of losing federal funding. Victims would also have legal cause of action for discrimination.
“Evidence shows that discrimination against LGBT students deprives them of equal educational opportunities by increasing their likelihood of skipping school, underperforming academically, and dropping out,” said Rep. Scott, the ranking Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, in a press release. “School must be a place where all students feel welcome and safe to thrive.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that negative attitudes towards LGBT youth puts them at increased risk for violence, and academic studies have shown LBGT adolescents were more than twice as likely to attempt suicide, according to a press release from Polis’s office.
The Obama administration has already expressed support for the legislation. President Obama has screened the film Bully on the impacts of bullying on students and families, held a conference on bullying prevention at the White House and President Obama has personally recorded a video for the It Gets Better Project.
ANTI-MICROBEAD BILL MAKES PROGRESSÂ
State Rep. Dianne Primavera’s (D-Broomfield) microbead bill has passed out of the Public Healthcare and Human Services Committee. And that’s good news, according to the environmental community.
A statement from Primavera’s office says HB15-1144 would “phase out the manufacture and sale of products containing microbeads by January 2020.”
It also added, “Microbeads are used in many personal care products as an exfoliant and are so small they are not filtered out by wastewater treatment plants, nor do they decompose quickly. While microbeads themselves are not toxic, they can absorb and store other toxins.”
The real issue behind the need to stop putting microbeads in products concerns fish, and subsequently our eating fish. Small fish often mistake microbeads in our waterways and lakes for food. Once small fish eat the microbeads, which are often contaminated with previously absorbed toxins, they become contaminated themselves. And as larger fish eat the small fish, they too can become dangerously contaminated. So when we eat the larger fish, we run the risk that the toxins will become hazardous to us.
Primavera’s office further notes, “Many companies are in the process of reformulating their products with biodegradable alternatives across the country. Johnson & Johnson, the Personal Care Products Council, the Colorado Retail Council and the Colorado Water Congress all testified in favor of the bill.”
Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com
