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The Senate Just Killed An LGBT Youth Protection Bill, Even Though Most Schools Don't Protect Queer Kids

On Tuesday, the Senate failed to pass a bill that would offer LGBT students federal protections against bullying and discrimination. It was the first LGBT-related measure before Congress since the Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality.

Related: 12-Year-Old Cheerleader Commits Suicide After Facing Anti-Gay Bullying

A majority of senators actually voted for the provision—52, compared to 45 against it—but  Senate rules required 60 votes for a measure to pass.

“If a black child was referred to by a racial slur at school, would we say kids will be kids?” said Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn) during debate on the Senate floor. “No, we would not. In fact, there are federal civil rights laws that are specifically designed to stop this kind of conduct.”

Franken, who sponsored the bill, spoke about three youths, all under 16, who took their own lives after facing harassment and bullying from classmates.

One, 13-year-old middle schooler Seth Walsh hanged himself from a tree in the backyard after enduring daily abuse.  “Students called him faggot and queer. He was afraid to use the restroom or to be in the boys’ locker room before gym class,” revealed Franken.

Related: Former Homophobic Bully Comes Out, Apologizes To Bullied Classmate

“This amendment would simply provide LGBT kids with the same legal remedies available to other kids under our federal civil rights laws."

Opponents claim the measure would lead to a flood of lawsuits, and argue the issue of bullying at school should be handled on the local level. But, as Franken reminded his colleagues, "we have the same protections granted to kids by virtue of their race. That wasn’t a local issue—that was a federal law we had to pass."

[caption id="attachment_173917" align="alignnone" width="631"]bullying ronin shimuzu Ronin Shimizu, 12, committed suicide after being bullied for being a cheerleader.[/caption]

Adding fuel to the debate is a new GLSEN report published today, which reveals that most schools do not have policies protecting LGBT youth from discrimination, harassment or violence.

Nearly 30% of school districts have no official anti-bullying policy at all, and less than half that do outline protections for students who get bullied because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation. (Only 14% of schools cover gender identity or expression.)

"[It] illustrates the gap that can emerge between the intentions of a law and the actual implementation –- arguably the most critical component of the passage of any law," said GLSEN director Eliza Byard. "There remain far too many school districts that have failed to institute policy protections, even in states which require them by law. As a result, these schools continue to fail our students.”

Unsurprisingly, a survey of more than 8,000 LGBT students showed that more than 55% reported feeling unsafe at school due to their sexual orientation.

h/t: Huffington Post

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