Bill Title: To declare the third Friday in April the National Day
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 14-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-04-17 - To Education
[HCR13 Detail]Download: Ohio-2013-HCR13-Introduced.html
As Introduced 130th General Assembly | Regular Session | 2013-2014 |
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Cosponsors:
Representatives Clyde, Rogers, Stinziano, Ramos, Szollosi, Pillich, Ashford, Fedor, Hagan, R., Lundy, Driehaus, Celebrezze, Williams
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION | To declare the third Friday in April the National Day | 1 |
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of Silence in Ohio to bring attention to | 2 |
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anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender | 3 |
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name-calling, bullying, and harassment in schools. | 4 |
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF OHIO
(THE SENATE CONCURRING): WHEREAS, The National Day of Silence is a day in which | 5 |
students take a vow of silence to bring attention to the anti- | 6 |
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender name-calling, bullying, | 7 |
and harassment faced by individuals in schools; and | 8 |
WHEREAS, The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network | 9 |
designates the third Friday of every April as the National Day of | 10 |
Silence; and | 11 |
WHEREAS, Hundreds of thousands of students at more than 8,000 | 12 |
schools have participated in the National Day of Silence in past | 13 |
years; and | 14 |
WHEREAS, The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network's | 15 |
2011 National School Climate Survey illustrates the pervasive | 16 |
harassment and victimization faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and | 17 |
transgender students by documenting their experiences within the | 18 |
preceding academic year; and | 19 |
WHEREAS, According to the report, nearly eighty-two per cent | 20 |
of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students reported being | 21 |
verbally harassed by their peers at school because of their sexual | 22 |
orientation, and more than sixty per cent because of their gender | 23 |
expression; and | 24 |
WHEREAS, More than thirty-eight per cent of lesbian, gay, | 25 |
bisexual, and transgender students reported being physically | 26 |
harassed by their peers at school because of their sexual | 27 |
orientation, and over twenty-seven per cent because of their | 28 |
gender expression; and | 29 |
WHEREAS, Over eighteen per cent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, | 30 |
and transgender students reported being physically assaulted by | 31 |
their peers at school because of their sexual orientation, and | 32 |
more than twelve per cent because of their gender expression; and | 33 |
WHEREAS, More than sixty per cent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, | 34 |
and transgender students reported that they felt unsafe in school, | 35 |
and nearly thirty per cent reported missing at least one entire | 36 |
school day in the preceding month because of safety concerns; and | 37 |
WHEREAS, Transgender students reportedly are more likely than | 38 |
all other students to report feeling unsafe at school because of | 39 |
their gender expression; and | 40 |
WHEREAS, According to the National Transgender Discrimination | 41 |
Survey, issued jointly by the National Center for Transgender | 42 |
Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, those who | 43 |
expressed a transgender identity or gender nonconformity while in | 44 |
grades kindergarten through twelve reported alarming rates of | 45 |
harassment, physical assault, and sexual violence so severe that | 46 |
almost fifteen per cent of those surveyed had to leave school; and | 47 |
WHEREAS, Student academic performance is affected such that | 48 |
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students who experienced | 49 |
high levels of verbal harassment because of their sexual | 50 |
orientation or gender expression report a grade point average | 51 |
nearly a half grade lower than those of lesbian, gay, bisexual, | 52 |
and transgender students who experienced low levels of such | 53 |
harassment; and | 54 |
WHEREAS, The presence of supportive staff contributed to a | 55 |
range of positive indicators including fewer reports of missing | 56 |
school, fewer reports of feeling unsafe, greater academic | 57 |
achievement, higher educational aspirations, and a greater sense | 58 |
of school belonging; and | 59 |
WHEREAS, Cities and school districts in this state are | 60 |
adopting policies to prohibit name-calling, bullying, harassment, | 61 |
and discrimination against students on the basis of their sexual | 62 |
orientation and gender identity or expression; and | 63 |
WHEREAS, Every child should be guaranteed an education free | 64 |
from name-calling, bullying, harassment, and discrimination | 65 |
regardless of his or her sexual orientation and gender identity or | 66 |
expression; now therefore be it | 67 |
RESOLVED, That we, the members of the 130th General Assembly | 68 |
of the State of Ohio, designate the third Friday of April of 2013 | 69 |
as the National Day of Silence in Ohio, support the goals and | 70 |
ideals of the National Day of Silence, and call on the people of | 71 |
the state to observe the National Day of Silence with appropriate | 72 |
ceremonies, programs, and activities; and be it further | 73 |
RESOLVED, That we, the members of the 130th General Assembly | 74 |
of the State of Ohio, encourage cities and school districts in | 75 |
this state to adopt policies to prohibit name-calling, bullying, | 76 |
harassment, and discrimination against students, teachers, and | 77 |
other school staff regardless of their sexual orientation and | 78 |
gender identity or expression, so that the state's schools are | 79 |
institutions where all individuals are able to focus on learning; | 80 |
and be it further | 81 |
RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the House of Representatives | 82 |
transmit duly authenticated copies of this resolution to the | 83 |
Governor of Ohio and to the news media of Ohio. | 84 |