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 Lambda Legal Defense & GLSEN Tackle Bias in Schools Help Activists Protect Students from Violence/ Harassment |
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Compiled by GayToday Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund
 New York, New York- Two organizations that have long battled bias in the nation's schools announced today that they have joined forces to create a guide for concerned community members who, in ever increasing numbers, support legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) students from violence and discrimination.
The publication was published in time for the 2002 state legislative sessions, which promise high profile battles over student protections in states like Florida, New York, and Washington. Attorneys from Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund collaborated with the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) to produce the publication titled ^A Guide to Effective Statewide Laws/Policies: Preventing Discrimination Against LGBT Students in K-12 Schools. ~ "This joint effort is groundbreaking because advocates have for the first time a comprehensive how-to manual for creating change that applies to an entire state," said David Buckel, senior staff attorney for Lambda Legal, the organization that brought the first lawsuit to successfully establish liability for a school that fails to stop anti-gay violence. "The guide allows for an exponential increase in the impact of grassroots work by focusing on state-wide laws and policies that stop abuse before it happens, so lawsuits are not necessary."
"In working to stop discrimination, harassment and violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students in schools, advocates have several choices for action. One choice involves creating or changing statewide laws and policies, which can have some of the most direct and positive impact on students and on school climate. This document is a part of our ongoing educational outreach to the youth and their advocates who struggle everyday in schools to get a safe and sound education. GLSEN and Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund have joined forces to pool our expertise in this area of statewide laws and policies. First, Lambda presents the key legal considerations that should inform advocates' decisions about what actions to take at the state level. Then GLSEN fills in the legal framework with the important political considerations for advocates. These two informational pieces, when combined with the necessary consultation with those people in the state with knowledge and experience on the issues, form a solid launching pad for grassroots action. Remember, your grassroots work on statewide laws and policies can make an enormous difference in the lives of young people harmed everyday in our schools by anti-LGBT attitudes and attacks. We hope this resource provides information that makes your grassroots efforts as strategic and effective as possible." In 2001, GLSEN's National School Climate Survey showed that over two thirds of LGBT students felt unsafe in school, and as a result roughly one third had stayed home from school at least one day in the previous month. |
