ACR 44, as introduced, Ammiano. National Day of Silence: discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students.
This measure would declare support for the goals and ideals of the National Day of Silence and would encourage school districts in the state to enforce laws and policies that prohibit name calling, bullying, harassment, and discrimination against all students, teachers, and other school staff regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.
Fiscal committee: no.
P1 1WHEREAS, The National Day of Silence is a day in which
2students take a vow of silence to bring attention to the antilesbian,
3antigay, antibisexual, and antitransgender name calling, bullying,
4and harassment faced by individuals in schools; and
5WHEREAS, The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network
6designates the third Friday of every April as the National Day of
7Silence; and
P2 1WHEREAS, Hundreds of thousands of students at more than
28,000 schools have participated in the National Day of Silence in
3past years; and
4WHEREAS, The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education
5Network’s 2011 National School Climate Survey illustrates the
6pervasive harassment and victimization faced by lesbian, gay,
7bisexual, and transgender students by documenting their
8experiences within the preceding academic year; and
9WHEREAS, Nearly 82 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
10transgender students reported being verbally harassed by their
11peers at school because of their sexual orientation, and more than
1260 percent because of their gender expression; and
13WHEREAS, More than 38 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual,
14and transgender students reported being physically harassed by
15their peers at school because of their sexual orientation, and over
1627 percent because of their gender expression; and
17WHEREAS, Over 18 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
18transgender students reported being physically assaulted by their
19peers at school because of their sexual orientation, and more than
2012 percent because of their gender expression; and
21WHEREAS, More than 60 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual,
22and transgender students reported that they felt unsafe in school,
23and nearly 30 percent reported missing at least one entire schoolday
24in the preceding month because of safety concerns; and
25WHEREAS, Transgender students were more likely than all
26other students to report feeling unsafe at school because of their
27gender expression; and
28WHEREAS, According to the National Transgender
29Discrimination Survey, those who expressed a transgender identity
30or gender nonconformity while in kindergarten and grades 1 to
3112, inclusive, reported alarming rates of harassment, physical
32assault, and sexual violence so severe that almost 15 percent of
33those surveyed had to leave school; and
34WHEREAS, Student academic performance is affected such
35that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students who
36experienced high levels of verbal harassment because of their
37sexual orientation or gender expression report a grade point average
38nearly a one-half grade lower than those of lesbian, gay, bisexual,
39and transgender students who experienced low levels of
40harassment; and
P3 1WHEREAS, The presence of supportive staff contributed to a
2range of positive indicators including fewer reports of missing
3school, fewer reports of feeling unsafe, greater academic
4achievement, higher educational aspirations, and a greater sense
5of school belonging; and
6WHEREAS, In the State of California, we have adopted laws
7and policies that prohibit name calling, bullying, harassment, and
8discrimination against students on the basis of their sexual
9orientation and gender identity or expression; and
10WHEREAS, Every child should be guaranteed an education
11free from name calling, bullying, harassment, and discrimination
12regardless of his or her sexual orientation and gender identity or
13expression; now, therefore, be it
14Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
15thereof concurring, That the Legislature of the State of California
16supports the goals and ideals of the National Day of Silence and
17encourages school districts in the State of California to enforce
18laws and policies that prohibit name calling, bullying, harassment,
19and discrimination against all students, teachers, and other school
20staff regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity or
21expression, so that California’s schools are institutions where all
22individuals are able to focus on learning; and be it further
23Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
24of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
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