By Chris Geidner on April 20, 2012
The White House today announced that President Obama is endorsing the Safe Schools Improvement Act (SSIA) and Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA), two bills pending in Congress to address bullying and discrimination faced by students across the nation.
White House spokesman Shin Inouye tells Metro Weekly, “The President and his Administration have taken many steps to address the issue of bullying. He is proud to support the Student Non-Discrimination Act, introduced by Senator Franken and Congressman Polis, and the Safe Schools Improvement Act, introduced by Senator Casey and Congresswoman Linda Sanchez. These bills will help ensure that all students are safe and healthy and can learn in environments free from discrimination, bullying and harassment.”
The SSIA would amend the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act to include bullying- and harassment-prevention programs, including ones based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The SNDA, modeled after Title IX, would add sexual orientation and gender identity to federal education nondiscrimination law.
[UPDATE @ 6:25P: White House senior advisor Valerie Jarrett, in a blog post, noted today’s news, writing, “Recently, I watched the movie BULLY with my mom. We were both deeply moved by the film and the stories it tells of students, families, and communities impacted by bullying.”
She went on to note the administration’s work to address bullying thus far, then added, “We also hope that Congress will take action to ensure that all students are safe and healthy and can learn in environments free from discrimination, bullying, and harassment by passing the Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA) and the Safe Schools Improvement Act (SSIA). These pieces of legislation are critically important to addressing bullying in our schools and safeguarding our most vulnerable students.”]
The news comes, Inouye wrote, as “the White House Office of Public Engagement is holding a screening of the documentary Bully at the White House with bullying prevention advocates from a wide range of communities.”
More than a year ago, the president held the first White House conference dedicated to discussing bullying prevention and sharing ideas and strategies for combating the problem.
Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network executive director Eliza Byard said in a statement, “Today’s announcement is a vital show of support to students everywhere of all identities, backgrounds and beliefs who face bullying and harassment in school,” said Byard. “By speaking out on GLSEN’s Day of Silence in support of these two critical bills, the President has given greater hope to students who often feel that they have nowhere to turn. It is deeply moving to know that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students who face the multiple threats of harassment, violence and discrimination have the President as an ally in their efforts to win all of the protections that they deserve.”
Before today, Inouye and other administration officials had said the administration supported the goals of both of the bills but there was no specific endorsement of either bill. Specifically, Inouye told Metro Weekly in March 2011, “We support the goals of both of these bills. This year, when the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is being considered, we look forward to working with Congress to ensure that all students are safe and healthy and can learn in environments free from discrimination, bullying and harassment.”
When the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee considered the Elementary and Secondary Education Reauthorization Act of 2011, it passed the bill in October 2011 without inclusion of or even a vote on either the SNDA or the SSIA.
The SSIA was reintroduced by Sens. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) the week of the White House bullying conference in 2011 and currently has 38 co-sponsors. The House version, introduced the next month by Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.), currently has 147 co-sponsors. The SNDA, meanwhile, was reintroduced by Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) the week of the bullying conference in 2011. The House bill has 157 co-sponsors, and the Senate version has 37 co-sponsors.
Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese said in a statement, “The President’s endorsement of the SNDA and SSIA recognizes the importance of providing LGBT students with the same civil rights protections as other students. No student should feel scared when walking into their school and these bills would address the discrimination and bullying that our youth have endured for far too long.”
Regarding the SNDA, the American Civil Liberties Union, which has strongly pressed the bill, called the development “key.”
“Having the White House stand behind the Student Non-Discrimination Act is key to getting this necessary legislation passed into law,” Ian Thompson, ACLU legislative representative, said in a statement. “Our public schools should be a safe harbor for our youth, not a place of exclusion and ridicule. By passing the Student Non-Discrimination Act, Congress can have a profound and very real impact in improving the lives of LGBT students. It’s time to make passage of this bill a priority.”
The news comes as the White House has faced blistering criticism — from LGBT advocates to The Washington Post editorial board — for Obama’s decision not to pursue an executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating against employees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Today’s endorsement also comes one day after The Huffington Post’s Amanda Terkel reported on New Mexico U.S. Senate candidate Heather Wilson’s comments criticizing the SNDA.
UPDATE @ 6:10P: Following the publication of this article, additional individuals and groups commented on today’s endorsement:
[Photo: President Obama addresses attendees of the White House Bullying Prevention Conference on March 10. (Photo by Ward Morrison.)]
By John Riley on April 14, 2025 @JRileyMW
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a law repealing the state's statutory ban on same-sex marriage, just over five months after Colorado voters repealed the state's constitutional ban on recognizing such unions.
The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Jessie Danielson (D-Wheat Ridge) and State Reps. Lorena Garcia (D-Adams Co.) and Brianna Titone (D-Arvada), the state's first out elected transgender lawmaker, repealed the statutory ban, which was implemented in 2006, the same year voters approved prohibiting same-sex nuptials.
In a reflection of how Coloradans' attitudes toward same-sex marriage have changed in just under two decades, last November's ballot initiative, Constitutional Amendment J, passed by a nearly two-to-one margin, winning by healthy margins even in some of the state's more rural counties, and racking up large margins in Denver, Fort Collins, and Boulder metropolitan areas.
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