Title: Supporting the goals and ideals of GLSEN's 2019 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.
Policy area: Education

Summary:
This resolution supports the goals and ideals of the National Day of Silence (during which students vow to remain silent to bring attention to the harassment and discrimination faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and gay people in schools). It requests that the President issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe the National Day of Silence.
The bill encourages each state, city, and local educational agency to adopt laws and policies to prohibit name-calling, bullying, harassment, and discrimination against students, teachers, and other school staff regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity or gender expression.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 34 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 34

   Supporting the goals and ideals of GLSEN's 2019 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 12, 2019

 Mr. Engel (for himself, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Panetta, Mr. 
   Moulton, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Stanton, Mr. Pocan, Mr. Morelle, Mr. 
    McGovern, Ms. Speier, Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Mr. 
 Lowenthal, Ms. Omar, Ms. Norton, Ms. Clarke of New York, Ms. DeGette, 
   Ms. DelBene, Mr. Soto, Mrs. Dingell, Mr. Tonko, Mr. Hastings, Mr. 
 Payne, Mr. Sean Patrick Maloney of New York, Mr. Kilmer, Mr. Nadler, 
  Mr. Swalwell of California, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Deutch, Mr. 
  Peters, Mr. Pappas, Miss Rice of New York, Mr. Welch, Mr. Levin of 
Michigan, Ms. Kuster of New Hampshire, Mr. Cicilline, Mr. Cisneros, Mr. 
 Foster, Mr. Blumenauer, Ms. Haaland, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Higgins 
   of New York, Mr. Ryan, Mr. Serrano, Ms. Velazquez, Ms. Meng, Mrs. 
Craig, Mr. Neguse, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Quigley, Ms. Castor of Florida, Ms. 
McCollum, Mr. Raskin, Mr. Yarmuth, Ms. Jayapal, Mr. Khanna, Mr. Lynch, 
Mr. Meeks, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mrs. Hayes, Mrs. Lee 
of Nevada, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. Correa, Ms. Titus, Mr. Bera, Mr. 
 Brown of Maryland, Mr. Sires, Ms. Wild, Ms. Escobar, and Mr. Gallego) 
 submitted 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

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
   Supporting the goals and ideals of GLSEN's 2019 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.

Whereas the National Day of Silence is a day in which students take a vow of 
        silence to bring attention to the anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, 
        transgender, and queer name-calling, bullying, and harassment faced by 
        individuals in schools;
Whereas GLSEN is a national nonprofit organization working 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 illustrates the pervasive 
        harassment and victimization faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, 
        transgender, and queer students by documenting their experiences within 
        the preceding 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 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 expression;
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 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 Discrimination Survey, those 
        who expressed a transgender identity or gender nonconformity while in 
        grades K through 12 reported alarming rates of harassment, physical 
        assault, and sexual violence so severe that 17 percent of those surveyed 
        had to leave school;
Whereas according to the 2017 National School Climate Survey, 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 harassment and assault;
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 education authorities are 
        adopting laws and policies to prohibit name-calling, bullying, 
        harassment, and discrimination against students on the basis of their 
        sexual orientation and gender identity or expression; and
Whereas every child should be guaranteed an education free from name-calling, 
        bullying, harassment, and discrimination regardless of his or her sexual 
        orientation and gender 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 National Day of 
        Silence;
            (2) requests that the President issue a proclamation 
        calling on the people of the United States to observe the 
        GLSEN's Day of Silence with appropriate ceremonies, programs, 
        and activities; and
            (3) encourages each State, city, and local educational 
        agency to adopt laws and policies to prohibit name-calling, 
        bullying, harassment, and discrimination against students, 
        teachers, and other school staff regardless of their sexual 
        orientation and gender identity or expression, so that the 
        Nation's schools are institutions where all individuals are 
        able to focus on learning.
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