IV 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 98 
Supporting the goals and ideals of GLSEN’s 2020 Day of Silence in bringing 
attention to anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) 
name-calling, bullying, and harassment faced by individuals in schools. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 24, 2020 
Mr. ENGEL (for himself, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. HAALAND, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. 
HAYES, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. RYAN, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. VARGAS, Ms. 
VELA´ZQUEZ, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mr. LYNCH, Mrs. CAROLYN B. 
MALONEY of New York, Mr. HECK, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. 
GALLEGO, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. PALLONE, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. LEE 
of California, Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire, Mr. PAPPAS, Mr. FOSTER, 
Mr. STANTON, Mr. BROWN of Maryland, Mr. BERA, Mr. NEGUSE, Mr. 
QUIGLEY, Ms. SCANLON, Mr. PETERS, Ms. JOHNSON of Texas, Mrs. 
WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. WELCH, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. 
SOTO, Ms. DEAN, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. CARSON of Indi-
ana, Mrs. LEE of Nevada, Ms. SA´NCHEZ, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. JOHNSON 
of Georgia, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. SWALWELL of Cali-
fornia, Ms. DELBENE, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. KILMER, Mr. COX of Cali-
fornia, Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Ms. JAYAPAL, Ms. 
MENG, Mr. HORSFORD, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. POCAN, Ms. 
CRAIG, Mr. CROW, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. HIGGINS of New 
York, Mr. SUOZZI, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. TITUS, Ms. TLAIB, 
Mr. LEVIN of Michigan, Ms. FINKENAUER, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Ms. 
CLARK of Massachusetts, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. SIRES, Miss RICE of New 
York, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Ms. OCASIO- 
CORTEZ, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Ms. ESCOBAR, Ms. OMAR, Mr. 
LUJA´N, Mr. ROUDA, Mr. TONKO, Mrs. LOWEY, and Mr. CISNEROS) sub-
mitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee 
on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
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•HCON 98 IH 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Supporting the goals and ideals of GLSEN’s 2020 Day of 
Silence in bringing attention to anti-lesbian, gay, bisex-
ual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) name-calling, bul-
lying, 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- 
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 create 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 2017 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, transgender, 
and queer students reported being verbally harassed by 
their peers at school because of their sexual orientation, 
and 59 percent because of their gender expression; 
Whereas 29 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, 
and queer students reported being physically harassed by 
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their peers at school because of their sexual orientation, 
and 24 percent because of their gender expression; 
Whereas nearly 13 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, 
transgender, and queer students reported being physically 
assaulted by their peers at school because of their sexual 
orientation, and 11 percent because of their gender ex-
pression; 
Whereas 60 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, 
and queer students reported that they felt unsafe in 
school because of their sexual orientation, and 35 percent 
reported missing at least one entire schoolday in the pre-
ceding 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 according to the 2017 National School Climate Sur-
vey, student academic performance is affected such that 
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer students 
who experienced high levels of harassment and assault 
because of their sexual orientation or gender expression 
report a grade point average nearly a half grade lower 
than those of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and 
queer students who experienced low levels of such harass-
ment and assault; 
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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-
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 
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schools are institutions where all individuals are able 
to focus on learning. 
Æ 
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