Text of US HCR 40 (2011)

IV 112TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 40 Supporting the goals and ideals of the National Day of Silence in bringing attention to anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender name-calling, bullying, and harassment faced by individuals in schools. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 13, 2011 Mr. ENGEL (for himself, Ms. BALDWIN, Ms. BERKLEY, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. CICILLINE, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mr. DOYLE, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. FARR, Mr. FILNER, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. HASTINGS of Flor- ida, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. HOLT, Mr. HONDA, Mr. KUCINICH, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. MARKEY, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MORAN, Mr. NADLER, Ms. NORTON, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. POLIS, Ms. RICHARDSON, Ms. LINDA T. SA´NCHEZ of California, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. SHERMAN, Ms. WOOLSEY, and Mr. WU) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addi- tion to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provi- sions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Supporting the goals and ideals of the National Day of Silence in bringing attention to anti-lesbian, gay, bisex- ual, and transgender name-calling, bullying, and harass- ment faced by individuals in schools. Whereas the National Day of Silence is a day in which stu- dents take a vow of silence to bring attention to the anti- VerDate Mar 15 2010 00:41 Apr 14, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC40.IH HC40 jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS 2 •HCON 40 IH lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender name-calling, bul- lying, and harassment faced by individuals in schools; Whereas the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network designates one day of every April as the National Day of Silence; Whereas hundreds of thousands of students at more than 8,000 schools have participated in the National Day of Silence in past years; Whereas the 2008 National Day of Silence was held in mem- ory of Lawrence King, a 15-year-old California student who was shot and killed in school in February 2008 by a classmate due to his sexual orientation and gender identity and expression; Whereas the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network’s 2009 National School Climate Survey illustrates the per- vasive harassment and victimization faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students by documenting their experiences within the preceding academic year; Whereas nearly 85 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students reported being verbally harassed by their peers at school because of their sexual orientation, and more than 60 percent because of their gender expres- sion; Whereas more than 40 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students reported being physically harassed by their peers at school because of their sexual orienta- tion, and nearly 30 percent because of their gender ex- pression; Whereas nearly 20 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students reported being physically assaulted by their peers at school because of their sexual orienta- VerDate Mar 15 2010 00:41 Apr 14, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC40.IH HC40 jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS 3 •HCON 40 IH tion, and nearly 12.5 percent because of their gender ex- pression; Whereas more than 60 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students reported that they felt unsafe in school, and nearly 30 percent reported missing at least one entire school day in the preceding month because of safety concerns; Whereas transgender students were more likely than all other students to report feeling unsafe at school because of their gender expression; Whereas, according to the National Transgender Discrimina- tion Survey, those who expressed a transgender identity or gender nonconformity while in grades K through 12 reported alarming rates of harassment, physical assault, and sexual violence so severe that almost 15 percent of those surveyed had to leave school; Whereas student academic performance is affected such that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students who ex- perienced high levels of verbal harassment because of their sexual orientation or gender expression report a grade point average nearly a half grade lower than those of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students who experienced low levels of such harassment; Whereas the presence of supportive staff contributed to a range of positive indicators including fewer reports of missing school, fewer reports of feeling unsafe, greater academic achievement, higher educational aspirations, and a greater sense of school belonging; Whereas a growing number of States, cities, and local edu- cation authorities are adopting laws and policies to pro- hibit name-calling, bullying, harassment, and discrimina- VerDate Mar 15 2010 00:41 Apr 14, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC40.IH HC40 jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS 4 •HCON 40 IH tion against students on the basis of their sexual orienta- tion and gender identity or expression; and Whereas every child should be guaranteed an education free from name-calling, bullying, harassment, and discrimina- tion regardless of his or her sexual orientation and gen- der identity or expression: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 1 concurring), That Congress— 2 (1) supports the goals and ideals of the Na- 3 tional Day of Silence; 4 (2) requests that the President issue a procla- 5 mation calling on the people of the United States to 6 observe the National Day of Silence with appropriate 7 ceremonies, programs, and activities; and 8 (3) encourages each State, city, and local edu- 9 cation authority to adopt laws and policies to pro- 10 hibit name-calling, bullying, harassment, and dis- 11 crimination against students, teachers, and other 12 school staff regardless of their sexual orientation 13 and gender identity or expression, so that the Na- 14 tion’s schools are institutions where all individuals 15 are able to focus on learning. 16 Æ VerDate Mar 15 2010 00:41 Apr 14, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HC40.IH HC40 jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS