Post by foolishwisdom on Nov 3, 2011 12:52:55 GMT -5
Well, specifically, it's an exception in an anti-bully bill, which...
So if your religion finds LGBTs to be a "belief or moral conviction", then you may legally bully anyone who's an LGBT.
Needless to say, people are, unsurprisingly, not happy with this turnout.
The other side's response?...
She might as well have said, "These arn't the droids you're looking for."
And along the same vain...
"Based on their individual worth as human beings, not on being segregated into singled-out groups for special protection" I'm guessing he doesn't think LGBT kids are worth very much...(I'm not even going to bother on the hypocrisy of the "special protection" smeg)
He also has more to say to the exception's defense (Spoiler: he brings up the First Amendment), but I'll just leave you the link to read, at the risk of your own faith in humanity.
michiganmessenger.com/53702/senate-passes-license-to-bully-legislation
I will only be angry if suicides increase because of this bill, because it's so predictable. But I'll be pissed only if the jackasses at the Right use the suicides to "prove" that being an LGBT is a depression all along, or state that LGBTs are being crybabies ("They're only killing themselves so they can have 'special rights' over Christians."), or some similer crap.
On the other hand, there maybe a silver lining in this: hopefully this'll send a shockwave throughout the county, showing who really holds/wants the special rights around here.
Edit: A petition has been created:
www.change.org/petitions/the-governor-of-mi-stop-the-license-to-bully-legislation
...does not prohibit a statement of a sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction of a school employee, school volunteer, pupil, or a pupil and parent or guardian.
So if your religion finds LGBTs to be a "belief or moral conviction", then you may legally bully anyone who's an LGBT.
Needless to say, people are, unsurprisingly, not happy with this turnout.
In a floor speech Minority Leader in the Senate Gretchen Whitmer (D-East Lansing) slammed the Republicans over the amended language.
“Here today you claim to be protecting kids and you’re actually putting them in more danger,” Whitmer said. “But bullying is not OK. We should be protecting public policy that protects kids — all kids, from bullies — all bullies. But instead you have set us back further by creating a blueprint for bullying.”
“Shockingly, Senate Bill 137 will do more harm than good. Senate Republicans left our students behind in favor of partisan politics and passed a bill that actually allows more bullying. Students and parents expect lawmakers to lead the charge against bullying, but instead Republicans made ideology more important than school safety,” said Emily Dievendorf, policy director of Equality Michigan. “Research clearly shows that only states with enumerated bills see a reduction in bullying. We need a bill that mentions the most affected populations and requires statewide reporting of bullying and harassment. SB 137 simply does nothing to reduce bullying in our schools.”
Democratic senators also assailed the legislation.
“The language in this legislation is disrespectful to the memory of the children who have committed suicide in this state due to bullying. Republicans clearly are not taking the bullying epidemic seriously,” said Senator John Gleason (D-Flushing). “The bill that was presented to us today offers no protections to our students and perpetuates a hostile environment in our schools.”
Gleason made headlines last month after Democratic senators attempted to attach anti-bullying legislation to a bill to lift the cap on the number of charter schools in the state. The GOP rejected both a fully enumerated bill with reporting requirements, and their own version of the bill. In response, Gleason staged a sit-in at the Capitol to protest the move.
“To the families of the ten reported suicides that were directly linked to bullying and the countless others that have gone unreported, this bill adds insult to injury,” said Senator Glenn Anderson (D-Westland). “I have been working for years to pass legislation to provide a safe school environment for all of our students. This bill goes in the exact opposite direction and in fact provides a license to bully.”
“Here today you claim to be protecting kids and you’re actually putting them in more danger,” Whitmer said. “But bullying is not OK. We should be protecting public policy that protects kids — all kids, from bullies — all bullies. But instead you have set us back further by creating a blueprint for bullying.”
“Shockingly, Senate Bill 137 will do more harm than good. Senate Republicans left our students behind in favor of partisan politics and passed a bill that actually allows more bullying. Students and parents expect lawmakers to lead the charge against bullying, but instead Republicans made ideology more important than school safety,” said Emily Dievendorf, policy director of Equality Michigan. “Research clearly shows that only states with enumerated bills see a reduction in bullying. We need a bill that mentions the most affected populations and requires statewide reporting of bullying and harassment. SB 137 simply does nothing to reduce bullying in our schools.”
Democratic senators also assailed the legislation.
“The language in this legislation is disrespectful to the memory of the children who have committed suicide in this state due to bullying. Republicans clearly are not taking the bullying epidemic seriously,” said Senator John Gleason (D-Flushing). “The bill that was presented to us today offers no protections to our students and perpetuates a hostile environment in our schools.”
Gleason made headlines last month after Democratic senators attempted to attach anti-bullying legislation to a bill to lift the cap on the number of charter schools in the state. The GOP rejected both a fully enumerated bill with reporting requirements, and their own version of the bill. In response, Gleason staged a sit-in at the Capitol to protest the move.
“To the families of the ten reported suicides that were directly linked to bullying and the countless others that have gone unreported, this bill adds insult to injury,” said Senator Glenn Anderson (D-Westland). “I have been working for years to pass legislation to provide a safe school environment for all of our students. This bill goes in the exact opposite direction and in fact provides a license to bully.”
The other side's response?...
Sara Wurfel, spokesperson for Gov. Rick Snyder, would not specifically address the question of the moral conviction exemption, instead issuing the following statement:
"The Governor is looking forward to working with the Legislature to get strong anti-bullying legislation to his desk and provide a safe environment for all students. The Governor believes bullying at any time, under any circumstances, is wrong. Period. It has no place in classrooms, schools or communities. It’s time for Michigan to join all the other states with tough laws on the books."
"The Governor is looking forward to working with the Legislature to get strong anti-bullying legislation to his desk and provide a safe environment for all students. The Governor believes bullying at any time, under any circumstances, is wrong. Period. It has no place in classrooms, schools or communities. It’s time for Michigan to join all the other states with tough laws on the books."
She might as well have said, "These arn't the droids you're looking for."
And along the same vain...
“We’re pleased that the senate has passed an anti-bullying bill that will equally protect all children from all bullying for all reasons, based on their individual worth as human beings, not on being segregated into singled-out groups for special protection,” said Gary Glenn, president of the American Family Association of Michigan. AFA Michigan has been a leading voice opposing enumerated legislation for over a decade, often referring to the legislation as “a Trojan horse for the homosexual agenda.”
"Based on their individual worth as human beings, not on being segregated into singled-out groups for special protection" I'm guessing he doesn't think LGBT kids are worth very much...(I'm not even going to bother on the hypocrisy of the "special protection" smeg)
He also has more to say to the exception's defense (Spoiler: he brings up the First Amendment), but I'll just leave you the link to read, at the risk of your own faith in humanity.
michiganmessenger.com/53702/senate-passes-license-to-bully-legislation
I will only be angry if suicides increase because of this bill, because it's so predictable. But I'll be pissed only if the jackasses at the Right use the suicides to "prove" that being an LGBT is a depression all along, or state that LGBTs are being crybabies ("They're only killing themselves so they can have 'special rights' over Christians."), or some similer crap.
On the other hand, there maybe a silver lining in this: hopefully this'll send a shockwave throughout the county, showing who really holds/wants the special rights around here.
Edit: A petition has been created:
www.change.org/petitions/the-governor-of-mi-stop-the-license-to-bully-legislation
