The Stupid is Strong With This
From Slap Upside the Head:
Matt Windschitl and Jason Schultz, two Iowa lawmakers, have proposed a bill to explicitly remove gay and lesbian students from anti-bullying policies in state schools.
***
Me being me, I decided to look a bit and see if anything had happened since the story was originally reported. Well, yes, it has. Here is House Bill 2291. It's been referred to the Education Committee and is now before a subcommittee. Dennis Cohoon is the chair of the subcommittee; the other members of this particular subcommittee are Annette Sweeney and Phyllis Thede. The subcommittee was just assigned on Feb. 8, 2010, and has not yet met about this bill. My personal hope is that the subcommittee is just going to let the bill die.
If you don't want to click on the bill's link, though, here's the bill in its entirety:
Section 1. Section 280.28, subsection 2, paragraph c, Code
1 2 2009, is amended to read as follows:
1 3 c. "Trait or characteristic of the student" includes but
1 4 is not limited to age, color, creed, national origin, race,
1 5 religion, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender
1 6 identity, physical attributes, physical or mental ability or
1 7 disability, ancestry, political party preference, political
1 8 belief, socioeconomic status, or familial status.
1 9 EXPLANATION
1 10 This bill strikes sexual orientation and gender identity
1 11 from the definition of the term "trait or characteristic of the
1 12 student" used for purposes of protecting students in public and
1 13 nonpublic schools from harassment and bullying.
So according to Schultz and Windschitl, it's NOT okay to bully a student because of the kid's age, the kid's color, the kid's belief system, what country the kid comes from, the kid's race, the kid's religion, the kid's (or more likely, the kid's parents') marital status, the kid's sex, what the kid physically looks like, the kid's physical or mental disabilities, the kid's ancestry, what political party the kid prefers or the kid's politics, whether or not the kid is poor, or whether or not the kid has a family, a respectable family, a divorced family, etc.
Bullying a student because the kid is lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning, has a different gender identity or just flat-out doesn't conform to a bully's idea of what a suitable sexual orientation and/or gender identity is for a boy or girl...that's perfectly fine.
Is it just me, or did anyone else's brain just go TILT?
Because, y'know, it's not like kids would be placed at risk because of this. And anyway, Schultz and Windschitl have to keep the world safe from the horrors of same-sex marriage.
"The Bully Bill or Safe School Act doesn't protect anyone anyway. Schools are already doing this, so to remove few words doesn't change the intent or effect of the law," says Rep. Jason Schultz.
:::
Rep. Schultz admits the bill won't go anywhere, but that's not the point. He hopes it will renew the efforts to make same sex marriage illegal here in Iowa, and start a debate on the house floor sometime this session. [emphasis mine]
So...yeah.
If you want to contact Jason Schultz, go here.
If you want to contact Matt Windschitl, go here.
Matt Windschitl and Jason Schultz, two Iowa lawmakers, have proposed a bill to explicitly remove gay and lesbian students from anti-bullying policies in state schools.
***
Me being me, I decided to look a bit and see if anything had happened since the story was originally reported. Well, yes, it has. Here is House Bill 2291. It's been referred to the Education Committee and is now before a subcommittee. Dennis Cohoon is the chair of the subcommittee; the other members of this particular subcommittee are Annette Sweeney and Phyllis Thede. The subcommittee was just assigned on Feb. 8, 2010, and has not yet met about this bill. My personal hope is that the subcommittee is just going to let the bill die.
If you don't want to click on the bill's link, though, here's the bill in its entirety:
Section 1. Section 280.28, subsection 2, paragraph c, Code
1 2 2009, is amended to read as follows:
1 3 c. "Trait or characteristic of the student" includes but
1 4 is not limited to age, color, creed, national origin, race,
1 5 religion, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender
1 6 identity, physical attributes, physical or mental ability or
1 7 disability, ancestry, political party preference, political
1 8 belief, socioeconomic status, or familial status.
1 9 EXPLANATION
1 10 This bill strikes sexual orientation and gender identity
1 11 from the definition of the term "trait or characteristic of the
1 12 student" used for purposes of protecting students in public and
1 13 nonpublic schools from harassment and bullying.
So according to Schultz and Windschitl, it's NOT okay to bully a student because of the kid's age, the kid's color, the kid's belief system, what country the kid comes from, the kid's race, the kid's religion, the kid's (or more likely, the kid's parents') marital status, the kid's sex, what the kid physically looks like, the kid's physical or mental disabilities, the kid's ancestry, what political party the kid prefers or the kid's politics, whether or not the kid is poor, or whether or not the kid has a family, a respectable family, a divorced family, etc.
Bullying a student because the kid is lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning, has a different gender identity or just flat-out doesn't conform to a bully's idea of what a suitable sexual orientation and/or gender identity is for a boy or girl...that's perfectly fine.
Is it just me, or did anyone else's brain just go TILT?
Because, y'know, it's not like kids would be placed at risk because of this. And anyway, Schultz and Windschitl have to keep the world safe from the horrors of same-sex marriage.
"The Bully Bill or Safe School Act doesn't protect anyone anyway. Schools are already doing this, so to remove few words doesn't change the intent or effect of the law," says Rep. Jason Schultz.
:::
Rep. Schultz admits the bill won't go anywhere, but that's not the point. He hopes it will renew the efforts to make same sex marriage illegal here in Iowa, and start a debate on the house floor sometime this session. [emphasis mine]
So...yeah.
If you want to contact Jason Schultz, go here.
If you want to contact Matt Windschitl, go here.