NJ Enacts Anti-Bully Law

NJ Enacts Anti-Bully Law
by Beth Shapiro
365Gay.com Newscenter in New York

(July 3, Trenton, NJ) New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey Wednesday signed into law a bill requiring every school district in the state to adopt and implement an anti-harassment and bullying policy, including harassment based on sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression.

It is one of the strongest anti-bully laws in the US and immediately drew praise from New Jersey activists and from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

"This legislation is a critical stride forward for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people," said Lorri L. Jean, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

"The unanimous passage of a transgender inclusive bill through two state legislative chambers is an overwhelming victory. That not one member voted against this bill is a testament to the fact that trans-inclusive grassroots organizing is an increasingly effective and successful strategy."

The New Jersey safe schools bill did not originally include gender identity or expression, but a coalition of state activists worked together to add this language to the bill while it was considered in committee. Staff of the NGLTF Transgender Civil Rights Project helped draft language for inclusion in the bill, and in addition testified in support of the bill in New Jersey before both the Senate and Assembly Education Committees.

New Jersey law already prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation in the education system. Recent New Jersey case law indicates that its sex discrimination provision should be interpreted to prohibit discrimination against transgender students as well.

Currently, two other states have either safe schools or educational anti-discrimination legislation that includes explicit transgender protection (California and Minnesota respectively). In all, seven states prohibit discrimination in education based on sexual orientation