NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Chadwick Bovée
cbovee@glsen.org
Ph: (212) 727-0135 x105 / Pgr: (888) 454-1446
NEW JERSEY'S MCGREEVEY SIGNS LANDMARK BILL
PROTECTING
LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER STUDENTS
GLSEN Applauds Governor and State Lawmakers,
Releases 'State of the States 2002' Showing New Jersey A Standout
NEW YORK, NEW YORK (September 6, 2002) - Today, New Jersey
Governor James
E. McGreevey will sign the state's anti-harassment bill (A1874),
passed
unanimously by the State Assembly and Senate in June, heralding
a new era of
legal protection for students. The Gay, Lesbian and Straight
Education
Network, or GLSEN, congratulates New Jersey lawmakers for their
swift
support of the legislation, which puts the state in the company
of the
District of Columbia and only seven other progressive states with
similar
policies.
"This is a historic day for New Jersey's 1.3 million students
and all those
who will come after them," said GLSEN Executive Director
Kevin Jennings.
"This legislation strengthens New Jersey's existing anti-discrimination
law
by specifically protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
(LGBT)
students against bullying and harassment that is all too common,
and it
heroically extends those protections to transgender students."
GLSEN's 2001 National School Climate Survey found that four
out of five LGBT
students report verbal, sexual or physical harassment at school
and 30%
report missing at least a day of school in the past month due
to fear.
McGreevey's signature coincides with the release last week
of the first
examination and comparison of state policies that protect students
- or fail
to do so - from discrimination and harassment based on sexual
orientation or
gender identity. "State of the States 2002: GLSEN's Policy
Analysis of
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Safer Schools Issues"
is
issued by GLSEN's Office of Public Policy in Washington, DC, and
available
at www.glsen.org.
In addition to the District of Columbia, only eight states
now legally
protect students on the basis of sexual orientation and/or gender
identity:
California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey,
Vermont,
Washington and Wisconsin. Those laws cover only 11.9 million
students, 25
percent of the country's school children. Rhode Island, while
not having a
legal mandate from the legislature, does have a statewide regulation
from
its Department of Education that protects LGBT students from harassment.
"New Jersey has joined the ranks of states that have pledged
to fight
discrimination leveled at LGBT students with more than mere lip
service
based on vague anti-harassment policies," said Jennings.
"State of the
States 2002 gives Americans the resources needed to make change
in the 42
states that are lagging behind, and learn more about leaders like
New Jersey
and Washington State, which passed similar legislation earlier
this year."
New Jersey's bill, A1874, builds upon the state's Law Against
Discrimination, which prohibits discrimination in public institutions,
including schools, on the basis of real or perceived sexual orientation.
This new legislation strengthens the existing legal obligations
by including
specific requirements for schools to adopt, implement and publicize
policies
and procedures for addressing instances of bullying and harassment.
In
addition, this makes New Jersey only the third state to specifically
include
protections for transgender students.
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GLSEN is the largest national network of parents, students,
educators and
others working to create safe schools for lesbian, gay, bisexual
and
transgender students and staff. Visit www.glsen.org.
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