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NEW REPORT CALLS TREATMENT OF LGBT YOUTH IN U.S. PUBLIC SCHOOLS A 'HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE'
GLSEN Hails Report as Historic, Calls on Policymakers to Act
New York, New York (May 30, 2001)----- A report released today by the largest U.S. -based human rights organization states that the government's failure to protect lesbians, gay, bisexual and transgender(LGBT) youth in schools from discrimination and harassment constitutes a human rights abuse. Calling the report groundbreaking, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)---- the leading national organization working to end anti-gay bias in K-12 schools---- applauded Human Rights Watch and called on government at the federal, state and local levels to tale immediate action to prevent future violations.
"This report changes the terms of the debate, bringing anti-gay harassment and abuse out of the closet and into our national discussion on school safety and education access," said Executive Director Kevin Jennings, "We applaud Human Rights Watch for casting new light on the day-to-day abuse suffered by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students, and call on policymakers to take immediate steps to make schools safe for all students."
The report, Hatered in the Hallways, chonicles the experiences of 140 youth, as well as 130 youth service providers from seven states. Offering detailed list of federal, state and local policy recommendations, authors Michael Bochenek and A. Widney Brown suggest, among other things, that state legislatures enact nondiscrimination and anti-harassment laws to protect LGBT students, and that schools facilitate the formation of gay-straight alliance clubs and other in-school supports.
"Now it's time for schools and government to step up to the challenge, and work to prevent these violations before they happen," said Director of Public Policy MK Cullen. "In every state and every school system in the country, we need to enact laws and policies that will protect all students, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. GLSEN and its allies plan to do everything possible to ensure that lawmakers embrace these recommendations in the name of creating a safer school day for all young people."
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