[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 154 (Tuesday, November 30, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8291-S8292]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       CAMPAIGN TO STOP BULLYING

  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Over the last few months, our Nation has mourned 
the loss of several lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender teenagers 
driven to suicide because of hateful and ignorant bullying and 
harassment. These tragic circumstances brought families, friends, and 
concerned citizens together through vigils on public squares in 
communities all over this country and on college campuses throughout 
the Nation. Together, millions of fellow Americans have drawn attention 
to intolerance and violence that LGBT Americans face each day. 
Together, we can ensure all LGBT Americans that life will get better 
for them.
  As a father, I cannot bear to imagine the unspeakable pain endured by 
the parents of those teenagers who tragically took their own lives. No 
parent should have to bury a child. No child should ever feel so 
hopeless and so forgotten and so alone and so isolated that suicide 
seems like their only escape. But the rash of highly publicized 
suicides of LGBT students not only highlights the national epidemic of 
bullying these students face, it also reminds us that we all as adults, 
as clergy, as educators, or as peers of these students--we all have a 
role to play in preventing discrimination.
  Bullies target the vulnerable and subject them to cruelty through 
taunts in the classroom or on the Internet, through chants on the 
playing field or physical abuse in the neighborhood. Prejudices based 
on religion or race or disability or sexual orientation or gender or 
physical or intellectual differences too often translate into physical 
torment and isolation and abuse against others.
  LGBT youth, in particular, are frequently targeted by bullies. Public 
surveys indicate that 80 percent of LGBT students report regular 
harassment by fellow students--a rate three times that of heterosexual 
teens, three times the rate of their heterosexual peers. Seventy-five 
percent of high school students routinely hear homophobic remarks in 
school, reinforcing stereotypes and prejudices. Without a safe space to 
speak openly with a caring adult or a like-minded peer, victims are 
left to question their self-worth.
  On top of the self-doubt and insecurity that all young people feel 
already regardless of gender or race or sexual orientation--we have all 
been through that certainly as young teenagers and older teenagers, 
too, for that matter, but add to that the kind of insecurities that are 
put on them by bullying tactics, by so many people spouting homophobic 
remarks.
  Too many young gay men and women, boys and girls, are forced into 
secrecy about who they are rather than affirming the person they should 
proudly be.
  A brave young Ohioan named Nicholas sent me a letter detailing an 
attack by a schoolyard bully. Here is what Nicholas wrote:

       On September 18th, 2009 I was attacked by a student at my 
     school for being gay. This student beat me in the head with a 
     hammer three times. He chased me down so he could get the 
     last two hits. The student attacked me for being gay. I have 
     no way of using this attack to promote gay rights, to promote 
     gay equality, but you do. And you could do this for me. I 
     need your help more than anything. No one deserves to go 
     through what I went through.

  My message to Nicholas and to all LGBT Americans is this: You are not 
alone. Life will get better. You can find the love and acceptance you 
deserve, and you will find the love and acceptance you deserve, free 
from fear and hate. You will realize your full potential every bit as 
much as anyone else because things are changing in this country.

  There is no acceptable justification for the violence experienced by 
Nicholas or the physical and emotional mistreatment of LGBT students in 
our schools and in our communities. That is why the Senate must take 
crucial steps to ensure that schools are safe places for learning, safe 
places for students, and not breeding grounds for bullying.
  First, we must pass the Safe Schools Improvement Act which would help 
schools implement LGBT-inclusive programming to combat bullying and 
harassment. Second, we must pass the Student Nondiscrimination Act 
which would bar schools which receive public money from implementing 
programs that discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender 
identity.
  Legislation alone, of course, will not eradicate or put an end to 
bullying, but we also know what legislation did for women, for 
children, for civil rights. Attitudes change over time. Legislation 
helps accelerate that change. That is why those two pieces of 
legislation matter. They will be major steps toward ensuring safety and 
equal treatment for all students in our school systems.
  Parents and teachers also have a special responsibility to help LGBT 
youth confront the bullying they face at school. They, too, should 
ensure that every student knows she is valued, knows he is valued, 
regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
  LGBT community centers or national organizations such as the Gay, 
Lesbian and Straight Education Network are valuable resources for 
students, parents, and educators.
  I remember several years ago an event where students sat together as 
part of a gay/straight alliance at a high school in western Cuyahoga 
County. There were 10 students at 2 different tables, 5 gay students, 5 
straight students, all supporting one another, understanding each other 
and accepting their differences. They can still care about one another, 
and they can protect them, in many cases, from some of the bullying 
that might have befallen some of them.
  To our own LGBT students who are either forced to live a lie or face 
hostility for simply living their lives, all

[[Page S8292]]

of you should know there are resources to help you in times of need. 
The Trevor Project is the leading national organization focused on 
crisis and suicide prevention among lesbian, gay, bisexual, 
transgender, and questioning youth. For more information, if you are 
feeling alone, anyone watching today feeling alone, helpless, or in 
crisis, people can visit the Trevor Project's Web site, 
thetrevorproject.org, or they can call the hotline at 866-488-7386.
  For anyone who is in suicidal crisis or in need of help, the National 
Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week 
by calling 1-800-273-TALK.
  To Nick: I don't normally come to the floor and talk about a service 
like this. I think, though, when people feel alone, they don't always 
know there is help out there for them. Young people need to know that 
it is getting better, that life will get better for them, so it is 
important to share that information on the Senate floor.
  To Nicholas: History is on your side. It will, in fact, get better. 
Workers fought for the right to organize, women fought for the right to 
vote, African Americans fought for equal justice, and now LGBT 
Americans of all backgrounds are fighting for equality.
  It is up to us to join this fight. It is up to us to be on the side 
of people whose lives are a little bit more difficult, perhaps, than 
others' lives. It is that spirit of inclusion, it is the pursuit of the 
American dream, that will, in fact, make it better for these young 
people, and it will make it better for all Americans.
  I yield the floor, and I note the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
order for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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