Brian Sims Finds Bipartisanship For Anti-Bullying Bill In Pennsylvania

Last November, Brian Sims became the first openly-gay-elected member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and he has come out hard and fast in creating, and passing, anti-bullying legislation, AKA  the Pennsylvania Safe Schools [PASS] Act.

Brian Sims:

“As many of you can imagine, as a member of the LGBT community myself, such measures are something that I am particularly attuned to. The fact remains that young members of the LGBT community--or those perceived to be--are bullied and otherwise discriminated against at alarming rates. Every study that looks to analyze the impact of bullying has shown there to be lasting, and extremely detrimental effects that can stay with a person for a lifetime.”

But the more interesting aspect about the passing of the PASS Act are the people who have jumped on board: Pennsylvania Republicans. Among the 67 co-sponsors of the bill are not just Sims and members of the LGBT caucus--like fellow representatives, and Democrats, Dan Frankel and Mike Sturla--but more than a few Republicans, including Mike Fleck, a Republican who recently announced, publicly, that he is gay; and some of his fellow Republicans Dan Truitt, Mario Scavello, Todd Rock and Justin Simmons.

Brian Sims:

“I felt like a major change following the last election cycle wasn’t that there was going to be a ground swell of LGBT Democrats—that support has always been there and has always been strong, but what we’re really beginning to see is the Republican Party get on this issue....[Anti-bullying legislation is] no longer a wedge issue. I think we’re seeing that Republicans who we know have always had LGBT family members, have always had LGBT co-workers and certainly had experience, themselves, with bullying.”

The PASS Act--endorsed by Equality PA and Service Employees International Union [SEIU]--would amend the Public School Code of 1949, by “further providing for program of continuing professional education; and, in safe schools, further providing for definitions, for reporting and for policy relating to bullying and providing for powers and duties of Department of Education.”

Those amendments would include a change in the definition of bullying to say that it is “any written, verbal or physical conduct” related to a characteristic like race, color, religion, and, now, sexual orientation and gender identity. The bill also includes a definition of “cyberbullying.”

Brian Sims:

“Especially following Matthew Shepard, we saw a whole bunch of states pass anti-bullying legislation, which I call ‘toothless bills. They didn’t specifically enumerate the classes of people that need to be protected. They didn’t have reporting requirements, they didn’t have time frames on reports, they didn’t say what needed to be included in reports and I think this is very different. This bill protects those people from bullying and it will actually curb bullying—not just lend it lip service.”

Hopefully the newfound sense of bipartisanship in Pennsylvania might spread to other states, and hopefully their new anti-bullying legislation will follow suit.

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Kyle McCarter and Illinois GOP Defeats Anti-Bullying Measure, Citing "Gay Agenda"

Kyle McCarter:

I grow weary of the idiocy. I grow weary of people saying nonsensical things and expecting us to accept it as, well, as a non-religious person I won't say gospel, but they do seem to want everyone to accept their delusional rants as the truth.

And I'm so tired of it.

Case in point: this week the Illinois Senate turned down a bill that would have encouraged anti-bullying programs in schools, after conservatives argued that such programs could be used as a front to promote homosexuality.

Let me get this queer--and pardon my French, as my Mom would have said, because I’m pissed--but how does helping to protect kids from name-calling, shoving, taunting, teasing, having the shit beat out of them, driving them to attempt, and often succeed, at suicide, promote homosexuality?

Illinois douchebags? I’m talking to you. 

And I'm hearing back, from a Republican, of course; one asshat named Kyle McCarter, who says, “There are anti-bullying programs that have an agenda, to only protect one class of individuals.”

Um, Kyle, you homophobic, bigot, it's an anti-bullying legislation; it isn't anti-gay-kid-bullying, or anti-redheaded-kid bullying, or even anti-fat-kid bullying. It’s aimed to stop kids from terrorizing kids, but if you can label it pro-gay, as the GOP labels anything in order to denigrate it, then you think you can defeat it.

Well, Kyle, when more kids in Illinois are beaten and teased and taunted to death, I hope the state lays the blame squarely at your feet. And the feet of GOP homophobes and bigots.

McCarter then added, “Some of these programs are very good. They indeed encourage kids not to bully, [but] there are programs throughout the United States, used in some high schools and universities, that really have just a pro-homosexual agenda, and nothing but that.”

Where Kyle? Give us examples, please? Oh, but you can't, because you know what Kyle? There is no such thing as a Gay, er, Homosexual, Agenda. Oh, I know, I've used that term on this here blog thingy from time to time, when I welcome out people who come to terms with being gay and accepting  who they are, but there is no Gay Agenda.

Except equality.

Except being treated equally.

Except not wanting to be murdered because we're gay.

Except for not having preachers want to round us up and put us behind fences where we can starve to death.

Except for not wanting to hear one more idiotic word come out of the mouth of one more Republican moron who can't come up with an argument against protecting children from bullying children.

You are a moron, Kyle McCarter.

You are an idiot, and a bigot and a truly awful human being.

I would hope that, if there is any kind of Gay Agenda afoot in Illinois, its one mission is to see people like you removed from office.

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In Kansas, God Hates Fags

I am not a religious man. Big surprise, eh? yeah, I know, not so much. I mean, I do have my own spiritual beliefs, but they don't mesh with any one specific religion. See I learned a long time ago that, for many people, religion is a tool to make themselves feel better, and mostly by putting down anyone who doesn't share their beliefs.

Judge not lest ye be judged? Not so much, I've discovered.

Love thy neighbor as thyself? Only if the neighbor is exactly the same as you.

And, if I needed further proof of the detrimental aspects of organized religion--and I don't--I need look no further than the Kansas legislature.

Just this week, those group of asshats that the people chose to send to the capital to represent their wishes, advanced legislation to allow a religious defense to discriminate against gays.

Yup, hate in the name of god. That's what Kansas wants.

Two representatives from Lawrence, Kansas, attacked the the Kansas Preservation of Religious Freedom Act as a blatant attempt to destroy the city of Lawrence's anti-discrimination ordinance that includes sexual orientation.

Representative Barbara Ballard, the Democrat from Lawrence, said, “I am very proud of my Lawrence community, and I’m very proud of the ordinance that we passed. Discrimination is an injustice. It is an injustice to everyone.”

And House Minority Leader Paul Davis, also a Democrat from Lawrence, said, “I don’t believe it is ever right to discriminate against someone because of their sexual orientation.”

Lance Kinzer

But Representative Lance Kinzer, a Republican, of course, and foot solider in the culture war, defended the bill--it's his bill, by the way--saying it was meant to make sure government could not infringe on an individual’s religious beliefs: “Free exercise of religion is at the core of who we are as a people.”

Which begs the question, Lance, since when does free exercise of religion allow someone to discriminate against people? I mean, that whole judging business? The love for your neighbor? You're just gonna throw all that out because it doesn't jibe with your anti-LGBT hatred? God would not be happy with you, Lance. In fact, I think she'd be downright pissed off at you.

See, according to Lance, an apartment owner in Kansas could cite his religious beliefs to fight a complaint if he refused to rent to a same-sex couple. An employer could fire someone for being gay.

So effing Christ-like. So Kansas, I guess, because I'm not hearing any uproar.

But, while we're discussing, here's my take: if, and I've said this a hundred times, your religious belief is that I am an abomination and will be spending eternity in Hell for being gay, go for it. You're free to think that way. You free to say that. What you aren't free to do is discriminate against me in  housing, employment, or any other walk of life just because your tiny addled brain says that's what god wants.

Because she doesn't.

I couldn't care less if you all wanna go to church on Sunday and sing your hymns to the baby Jeebus and then come out of worship and tell me you hate me.

See, I don't discriminate against you.

I don't believe it that.

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