[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 43 (Wednesday, April 13, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E632-E633]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN HONOR OF GAY, LESBIAN, STRAIGHT ALLIANCES AND THE NATIONAL DAY OF 
                                SILENCE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JERROLD NADLER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 13, 2005

  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join hundreds of thousands 
of young people across the Nation to ``break the silence'' surrounding 
the scourge of anti-gay bullying and harassment in our schools. In more 
than 4,000 schools in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, students have 
taken a day-long vow of silence to peacefully and poignantly draw 
attention to the abuse routinely faced by their lesbian, gay, bisexual, 
and transgender (LGBT) classmates. Over 450,000 students are expected 
to participate in this year's National Day of Silence.
  This ever-growing, student-led effort, co-sponsored by the Gay, 
Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and the United States 
Student Association, is a clarion call to parents, teachers, and school 
administrators to help end the all too common practice of dismissing or 
discounting student-on-student harassment. It is increasingly clear 
that young people of conscience will not sit idly by as their LGBT 
friends or classmates are preyed upon by bullies and bigots. They will 
stand up and speak out against such bigotry and intolerance, even if 
the adults in their lives will not.
  We have all heard the saying, ``sticks and stones may break my bones, 
but names will never hurt me,'' which has been used for generations by 
countless children to fend off verbal attacks from their peers. 
Unfortunately, the notion that such verbal bullying or harassment is a 
``normal'' and unavoidable part of growing up remains a widely accepted 
attitude amongst school administrators and teachers in this country. 
Too often, adults tend to dismiss or even romanticize schoolyard 
bullying as some sort of coming of age ritual or an inevitable ``right 
of passage.'' Today, I join with the growing chorus of voices, 
including informed educators, children's rights advocates and students, 
who reject such anachronistic, survival-of-the-fittest thinking.
  The uncomfortable truth is that ``names'' and labels can indeed hurt. 
For sensitive or vulnerable young people--particularly LGBT youth who 
are already struggling with their sexuality in a cultural and social 
context that often is overwhelmingly hostile to it--such verbal

[[Page E633]]

abuse, and the social and emotional isolation that often accompanies 
it, can leave lasting emotional scars.
  And too many schools have a culture that fosters and sustains a 
hostile environment for these youth. Surveys indicate that the average 
high school student hears 25 anti-gay slurs daily; 97 percent of high 
school students regularly hear homophobic remarks. Even more alarming 
are the results of GLSEN's must recent National School Climate Survey, 
which found that 84 percent of LGBT students had suffered some form of 
abuse and 82.9 percent of these reported that adults never or rarely 
intervened when present. It is unsurprising that such a pervasive 
atmosphere of harassment takes its toll. LGBT students are far more 
likely to skip classes, drop out of school and, most disturbingly, 
attempt suicide.
  According to numerous studies, LGBT teens are 2 to 3 times more 
likely to attempt suicide. Such statistics are a sobering reminder that 
we must redouble our efforts to provide our children with safe and 
secure learning environments. No student should be harassed or attacked 
simply because they are perceived as different, or because they have 
had the courage to openly acknowledge their sexual orientation.
  Through their actions, the student organizers and participants of the 
Day of Silence set an example for their peers and their elders alike. 
Their silence has spoken volumes about the need for us to recognize the 
corrosive climate of fear and intimidation that any kind of bullying 
creates. Our schools should be havens for learning and personal growth, 
not arenas for conflict and harassment. For their courage, their 
compassion, and their tenacity, I honor all those who took this vow of 
silence today.

                          ____________________