Senate votes on nondiscrimination protections for LGBT students

Staff report

On Monday, July 13, Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) spoke with Chris Hayes from MSNBC about a measure he's been working on for years to help stop the bullying of LGBT children in schools. The Student Non-Discrimination Act would protect students from discrimination based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

His measure, which came to a vote during Senate debate this week on a legislative overhaul to our federal education system, would extend the same protections to LGBT students that are already granted to students on the basis of race, gender, and disability status.

MSNBC's Chris Hayes Reports:

Hayes: “Why do you want to see federal law on this?”

Sen. Franken: “This has become an epidemic. Today I gave a speech on this on the floor and showed the pictures of three boys, a 15-year-old, a 13-year-old, and an 11-year-old who had committed suicide because they were being bullied, harassed, and taunted at school. Thirty percent of LGBT students report that they have missed a day of school in the last 30 days because they were afraid, and it's hard to learn when you dread going to school. We're now taking up an education bill on the floor of the senate and I have a bill, the Student Non-Discrimination Act.”

The U.S. Senate voted on an amendment to the education bill, which Franken calls the Student Non-Discrimination Act, to explicitly protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students in public schools across the country. While the amendment fell short of the required 60-vote threshold, it garnered the support of 52 senators, including seven Republicans.

Ian Thompson, legislative representative of the American Civil Liberties Union, said:

“It is disappointing that the Senate failed to act to explicitly protect LGBT children in our nation’s public schools from discrimination. What could be more commonsense? It is, however, encouraging that a bipartisan majority of senators came together in support of the idea that all children, regardless of who they are, deserve the right to learn in an environment that is safe and free from the fear of discrimination looming over their heads.

“The fight for explicit protection for LGBT students under federal law will continue. In the meantime, the Departments of Education and Justice must continue to use their existing legal authority to protect LGBT students from discrimination and harassment.”

The Gayly – July 15, 2015 @ 2pm.