Every student deserves a public education free of harassment and discrimination.

SAVE Dade joins the ACLU of Florida and a diverse coalition of organizations in support of the Student Non-Discrimination Act (S. 555/H.R. 998).

You can make a difference and help pass this legislation by writing Florida Senators Nelson (D) and Rubio (R) a personalized message in support of the Student Non-Discrimination Act.  Use the form below to edit your message and write your Senators directly.

Thank you for adding your voice to the fight for full equality in Florida!

Dear Senator Nelson and Senator Rubio,: * As organizations committed to ensuring that all students have access to an education unhindered by discrimination, including harassment and physical aggression, we are writing to urge you to support and cosponsor the Student Non‐Discrimination Act (S. 555/H.R. 998). This important legislation would establish a comprehensive federal prohibition against discrimination, including harassment, in K‐12 public schools based on a student’s actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity, providing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students with long overdue and much needed explicit federal protections. The legislation also protects students who associate with LGBT people, including students with LGBT parents and friends. Discrimination, harassment, and even physical abuse, are often part of LGBT students’ daily lives at school. A 2009 study of more than 7,000 LGBT middle and high school students across the country found that nine out of ten reported experiencing harassment at their school within the past year based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, and two‐thirds said they felt unsafe at school because of who they are.1 Nearly one‐third skipped at least one day of school within the previous month because of concerns for their safety. Sadly, LGBT youth are also at a significantly increased risk for suicide related to mental health issues that often arise from poor treatment and discrimination in our nation’s schools. Ensuring the Student Non‐Discrimination Act becomes law is critical to the overall psychological wellbeing of LGBT youth, who have the same right to an education in our nation as all other students. The heightened media coverage on LGBT youth suicides across the nation this past fall shed light on an ongoing health issue for many of these young people. The Student Non‐Discrimination Act is a crucial step for Congress to take to address the far‐too‐often hostile school environments that fuel mental health issues and for some, an increased risk for suicide. The month of September 2010 alone was marked by one needless tragedy after another. In Greensburg, Indiana, 15‐year‐old Billy Lucas was found by his mother in the family's barn after he had taken his own life. 13‐year‐old Asher Brown, of Houston, Texas, died after shooting himself. Seth Walsh, also 13, of Tehachapi, California, died after spending nine days on life support after he hanged himself from a tree in his backyard. Billy, Asher and Seth all took their own lives following unrelenting verbal and physical abuse at their schools because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation. The tragically short lives of these young people underscore the fact that LGBT students are a particularly vulnerable population in our nation’s schools. While federal laws currently protect students on the basis of their race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin, no federal statute explicitly protects students on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. The Student Non‐Discrimination Act would do just that. In addition, nearly fifty years of civil rights history clearly demonstrate that laws similar to the proposed Student Non‐Discrimination Act are effective in preventing discrimination, including harassment, from occurring in the first place by prompting schools to take proactive steps to ensure a safe and supportive learning environment for all students who are in their care. It is with the spirit of being proactive that we the undersigned urge you to support and cosponsor the Student Non‐Discrimination Act (S. 555/H.R. 998). Congress has a historic opportunity to offer critical protections to current and future generations of LGBT youth and their student allies by passing this legislation, which ensures that discrimination, including harassment and physical aggression, of students on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity will have no place in our country’s public elementary and secondary schools. Sincerely, Advocates for Youth American Association of University Women (AAUW) American Civil Liberties Union American Counseling Association American Federation of Teachers American Humanist Association American Psychological Association (APA) Amnesty International USA Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL‐CIO Association of Flight Attendants – CWA Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law Center for American Progress Action Fund CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers Child Welfare League of America Communications Workers of America (CWA) Courage Campaign CREDO Action Disciples Justice Action Network Episcopal Church Family Equality Council Florida Together Friends Committee on National Legislation Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) Gay‐Straight Alliance Network Human Rights Campaign Human Rights Watch Immigration Equality Action Fund Interfaith Alliance Lambda Legal NAACP National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum National Association of Human Rights Workers National Association of School Psychologists National Center for Lesbian Rights National Council of Jewish Women National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) National Center for Transgender Equality National Education Association National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund National Women’s Law Center Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) National People For the American Way SAVE Dade SEIU Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS) Southern Poverty Law Center The Trevor Project Transgender Law Center Unitarian Universalist Association United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society Woodhull Freedom Foundation

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