Text of US HCR 49 (2017)

IV 115TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 49 Supporting the goals and ideals of GLSEN’s 2017 Day of Silence in bringing attention to anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer name- calling, bullying, and harassment faced by individuals in schools. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 6, 2017 Mr. ENGEL (for himself, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. CICILLINE, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. DEGETTE, Ms. DELBENE, Mr. DEUTCH, Mrs. DINGELL, Ms. ESTY, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. HANABUSA, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. NORTON, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. KEATING, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. KILMER, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. NOR- CROSS, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. PETERS, Mr. POCAN, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, Miss RICE of New York, Ms. SA´NCHEZ, Ms. SINEMA, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. SWALWELL of California, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. TONKO, Ms. TSONGAS, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. WELCH, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, and Mr. POLIS) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently deter- mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Supporting the goals and ideals of GLSEN’s 2017 Day of Silence in bringing attention to anti-lesbian, gay, bisex- ual, transgender, and queer name-calling, bullying, and harassment 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 Sep 11 2014 00:31 Apr 07, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC49.IH HC49 lotter on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS 2 •HCON 49 IH lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer name-call- ing, bullying, and harassment faced by individuals in schools; Whereas GLSEN is a national nonprofit organization work- ing to ensure safe and affirming learning environments in primary and secondary schools nationwide, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression; Whereas GLSEN designates one day of every April as the Day of Silence; Whereas hundreds of thousands of students at thousands of schools have participated in the National Day of Silence in past years; Whereas GLSEN’s 2015 National School Climate Survey il- lustrates the pervasive harassment and victimization faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer students by documenting their experiences within the pre- ceding academic year; Whereas 70 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students reported being verbally harassed by their peers at school because of their sexual orientation, and 54 per- cent because of their gender expression; Whereas 27 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students reported being physically harassed by their peers at school because of their sexual orientation, and 20 per- cent because of their gender expression; Whereas nearly 13 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students reported being physically assaulted by their peers at school because of their sexual orienta- tion, and 9 percent because of their gender expression; Whereas 57 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students reported that they felt unsafe in school because VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:31 Apr 07, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC49.IH HC49 lotter on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS 3 •HCON 49 IH of their sexual orientation, and 31.8 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 2015 National Transgender Dis- crimination Survey, those who expressed a transgender identity or gender nonconformity while in grades K through 12 reported alarming rates of harassment, phys- ical assault, and sexual violence so severe that 17 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- 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- VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:31 Apr 07, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC49.IH HC49 lotter on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS 4 •HCON 49 IH 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 GLSEN’s Day of Silence with appro- 7 priate ceremonies, programs, and activities; and 8 (3) encourages each State, city, and local edu- 9 cational agency to adopt laws and policies to prohibit 10 name-calling, bullying, harassment, and discrimina- 11 tion against students, teachers, and other school 12 staff regardless of their sexual orientation and gen- 13 der identity or expression, so that the Nation’s 14 schools are institutions where all individuals are able 15 to focus on learning. 16 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:31 Apr 07, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HC49.IH HC49 lotter on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS