Anti Bully Laws Inclusive Of All LGBT Youth Needed

This is great news for Transgender, Bisexual, Lesbian and Gay youth in Illinois and now such laws are needed for the entire country. We are losing too many lives. It will be a long time coming in draconian states like Arizona, Virginia and other bastions of religious extremists and conservative reactionaries where they are more worried about 'bathrooms' and hard working immigrants than about children's lives. Illinois approves anti-bullying bill that includes sexual orientation and gender identity SDGLN Staff | Tue, 04/27/2010 - 10:07am SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Gov. Pat Quinn is expected to sign into law an anti-bullying bill that includes sexual orientation and gender identity. The Illinois House voted unanimously on Friday, April 23, to approve the bill. The Senate passed its version on March 24. Schools will now be required to adopt anti-bullying policies and create bullying-resistance education for students. “At long last, schools across the state will be uniformly required to take steps to protect vulnerable kids from bullying and violence,” said Bernard Cherkasov, CEO of Equality Illinois, the state's largest gay rights advocate. “Students who are perceived to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender are particularly vulnerable to bullying. And the attempted suicide rate rate among LGBT students, which is as much as three times higher than the general average, presents alarming evidence for just how urgently we need this law.” Original Article