IV 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 49 
Supporting the goals and ideals of GLSEN’s 2017 Day of Silence in bringing 
attention to anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer name- 
calling, bullying, and harassment faced by individuals in schools. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 6, 2017 
Mr. ENGEL (for himself, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. CICILLINE, Ms. CLARKE of New 
York, Ms. DEGETTE, Ms. DELBENE, Mr. DEUTCH, Mrs. DINGELL, Ms. 
ESTY, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. HANABUSA, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. NORTON, Ms. 
JAYAPAL, 
Mr. 
KEATING, 
Mr. 
KHANNA, 
Mr. 
KILMER, 
Mr. 
KRISHNAMOORTHI, Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire, Mr. LOWENTHAL, 
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. NOR-
CROSS, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. PETERS, Mr. POCAN, Mr. PRICE of North 
Carolina, Miss RICE of New York, Ms. SA´NCHEZ, Ms. SINEMA, Ms. 
SLAUGHTER, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. SWALWELL of California, Mr. TAKANO, 
Mr. TONKO, Ms. TSONGAS, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. WELCH, Ms. 
WILSON of Florida, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, and Mr. 
POLIS) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to 
the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Supporting the goals and ideals of GLSEN’s 2017 Day of 
Silence in bringing attention to anti-lesbian, gay, bisex-
ual, transgender, and queer name-calling, bullying, and 
harassment faced by individuals in schools. 
Whereas the National Day of Silence is a day in which stu-
dents take a vow of silence to bring attention to the anti- 
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•HCON 49 IH 
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer name-call-
ing, bullying, and harassment faced by individuals in 
schools; 
Whereas GLSEN is a national nonprofit organization work-
ing to ensure safe and affirming learning environments in 
primary and secondary schools nationwide, regardless of 
sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression; 
Whereas GLSEN designates one day of every April as the 
Day of Silence; 
Whereas hundreds of thousands of students at thousands of 
schools have participated in the National Day of Silence 
in past years; 
Whereas GLSEN’s 2015 National School Climate Survey il-
lustrates the pervasive harassment and victimization 
faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer 
students by documenting their experiences within the pre-
ceding academic year; 
Whereas 70 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender 
students reported being verbally harassed by their peers 
at school because of their sexual orientation, and 54 per-
cent because of their gender expression; 
Whereas 27 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender 
students reported being physically harassed by their peers 
at school because of their sexual orientation, and 20 per-
cent because of their gender expression; 
Whereas nearly 13 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and 
transgender students reported being physically assaulted 
by their peers at school because of their sexual orienta-
tion, and 9 percent because of their gender expression; 
Whereas 57 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender 
students reported that they felt unsafe in school because 
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•HCON 49 IH 
of their sexual orientation, and 31.8 percent reported 
missing at least one entire school day in the preceding 
month because of safety concerns; 
Whereas transgender students were more likely than all other 
students to report feeling unsafe at school because of 
their gender expression; 
Whereas according to the 2015 National Transgender Dis-
crimination Survey, those who expressed a transgender 
identity or gender nonconformity while in grades K 
through 12 reported alarming rates of harassment, phys-
ical assault, and sexual violence so severe that 17 percent 
of those surveyed had to leave school; 
Whereas student academic performance is affected such that 
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students who ex-
perienced high levels of verbal harassment because of 
their sexual orientation or gender expression report a 
grade point average nearly a half grade lower than those 
of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students who 
experienced low levels of such harassment; 
Whereas the presence of supportive staff contributed to a 
range of positive indicators including fewer reports of 
missing school, fewer reports of feeling unsafe, greater 
academic achievement, higher educational aspirations, 
and a greater sense of school belonging; 
Whereas a growing number of States, cities, and local edu-
cation authorities are adopting laws and policies to pro-
hibit name-calling, bullying, harassment, and discrimina-
tion against students on the basis of their sexual orienta-
tion and gender identity or expression; and 
Whereas every child should be guaranteed an education free 
from name-calling, bullying, harassment, and discrimina-
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•HCON 49 IH 
tion regardless of his or her sexual orientation and gen-
der identity or expression: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress— 
(1) supports the goals and ideals of the Na-
tional Day of Silence; 
(2) requests that the President issue a procla-
mation calling on the people of the United States to 
observe the GLSEN’s Day of Silence with appro-
priate ceremonies, programs, and activities; and 
(3) encourages each State, city, and local edu-
cational agency to adopt laws and policies to prohibit 
name-calling, bullying, harassment, and discrimina-
tion against students, teachers, and other school 
staff regardless of their sexual orientation and gen-
der identity or expression, so that the Nation’s 
schools are institutions where all individuals are able 
to focus on learning. 
Æ 
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