[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 628 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 628
Supporting the goals and ideals of the Rise Up for LGBTQI+ Youth in
Schools Initiative, a call to action to communities across the country
to demand equal educational opportunity, basic civil rights
protections, and freedom from erasure for all students, particularly
LGBTQI+ young people, in K-12 schools.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 8, 2024
Mr. Schatz submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Supporting the goals and ideals of the Rise Up for LGBTQI+ Youth in
Schools Initiative, a call to action to communities across the country
to demand equal educational opportunity, basic civil rights
protections, and freedom from erasure for all students, particularly
LGBTQI+ young people, in K-12 schools.
Whereas young people, teachers, school staff, families, and communities must be
free from transphobia, homophobia, racism, sexism, and ableism in K-12
schools;
Whereas K-12 schools must be safe and inclusive learning environments that
include and affirm LGBTQI+ young people, especially those who are
transgender, nonbinary, intersex, Black, Indigenous, people of color,
and people with disabilities and those who are from communities that
experience marginalization;
Whereas, for more than 2 decades, Congress has supported a resolution for a
National Day of Silence, and, for a decade, Congress has supported a
resolution for No Name-Calling Week;
Whereas advocates have designated 2024 to 2025 as a time for communities to
support the Rise Up for LGBTQI+ Youth in Schools Initiative in support
of LGBTQI+ young people in schools by building on the goals of National
Day of (No) Silence and No Name-Calling Week to create a sustained call
to action to demand equal educational opportunities, basic civil rights
protections, and freedom from erasure for all students;
Whereas LGBTQI+ young people frequently experience bias-based bullying and
harassment, discrimination, and punitive discipline that increases the
likelihood they will enter the school-to-prison pipeline;
Whereas over 200 anti-LGBTQI+ education bills have been introduced each year in
State legislatures across the country, the majority of which
specifically target transgender and nonbinary young people, including--
(1) in Idaho, where on March 30, 2020, Governor Brad Little signed the
first bill into law barring transgender students from playing on the school
sports teams that correspond with their gender identity;
(2) in 24 additional States that enacted policies between 2021 and 2024
that prohibit transgender students from playing alongside their peers on
school sports teams;
(3) in Tennessee, where in 2021, Governor Bill Lee signed a bill that
allows any student, parent, or employee to sue if they interact with a
transgender person in a school bathroom or other facility; and
(4) in 10 States that, between 2021 and 2024, enacted laws that prevent
transgender students from using the school bathroom or locker room that
corresponds with their gender identity;
Whereas GLSEN's 2021 National School Climate Survey found that LGBTQI+ students
who experienced discrimination on the basis of their LGBTQI+ identity at
school in the past year, including being prevented from using the
restroom that aligns with their gender identity and being barred from
playing on the school sports team that aligns with their gender
identity, were nearly 3 times as likely to have missed school in the
past month, had lower GPAs, reported lower feelings of school belonging,
and had higher levels of depression compared to LGBTQI+ students who had
not experienced similar discrimination;
Whereas LGBTQI+ young people are more likely than their non-LGBTQI+ peers to
experience mental health concerns, including stress, anxiety, and
depression;
Whereas nearly half of LGBTQI+ young people seriously considered suicide in the
last year, a trend that increases among Indigenous, Black, and
multiracial LGBTQI+ young people;
Whereas the GLSEN's 2021 National School Climate Survey found that, among
LGBTQI+ students who said that they were considering dropping out of
school, 31.4 percent indicated that they were doing so because of the
hostile climate created by gendered school policies and practices;
Whereas States have passed or attempted to pass legislation that erases or
censors LGBTQI+ individuals, history, and contributions from classroom
literature and curricula, including--
(1) in Florida, where in March 2022, Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB
1557 into law, censoring instruction related to LGBTQI+ people, commonly
referred to as the ``Don't Say LGBTQ+'' law;
(2) in the 6 additional States that enacted laws between 2022 and 2024
censoring instruction related to LGBTQI+ people;
(3) in Arizona, where in May of 2021, Governor Doug Ducey signed HB
2035, which requires parental consent for a child to learn about topics
such as the United States Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, 576
U.S. 644 (2015), in which the Court held that the fundamental right to
marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples; and
(4) in Arkansas, Florida, Montana, and Tennessee, which in 2021 enacted
laws that treat instruction related to LGBTQI+ individuals in history,
science, the arts, or any academic class as a sensitive topic that requires
parental notification and allows parents to opt their child out of such
instruction;
Whereas these laws harm students and force families to consider leaving their
homes, as demonstrated in a Williams Institute report, which found that
56 percent of LGBTQI+ parents of students in Florida considered moving
out of Florida and 16.5 percent have taken steps to move out of Florida
because of HB 1557;
Whereas States have gone farther by specifically targeting transgender students
and their families with policies that attack mental health counseling
and gender-affirming care for transgender students, including--
(1) in Texas, where in 2022, Governor Greg Abbott issued a directive to
the Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate the parents
of young people seeking gender-affirming care for child abuse, which
purported to require school professionals to report parents who are
supportive of their transgender child for investigation; and
(2) the introduction of at least 55 bills in 22 States, since the
beginning of the 2024 legislative session, that prohibit or create barriers
to the social affirmation of transgender and nonbinary students in schools,
such as using a student's chosen name and pronouns, regardless of the risk
to the student's safety, health, and well-being;
Whereas 85 percent of transgender and nonbinary young people say that recent
debates prompted by State legislation restricting the rights of
transgender individuals have negatively impacted their mental health;
Whereas data provided by the Department of Justice shows that the number of
reported anti-LGBTQI+ hate crimes in schools has increased from 145
reported incidents in 2019 to 251 reported incidents in 2022;
Whereas every young person must have equal educational opportunity and freedom
from the fear that their basic civil and educational rights will be
taken away from them;
Whereas young people who develop in positive school climates, free from
bullying, harassment, and discrimination, report greater physical and
psychological safety, greater mental well-being, and improved
educational and life outcomes;
Whereas positive school transformation must recognize that safety is too low of
a bar and that all communities deserve to be acknowledged and affirmed
in schools;
Whereas students and families, educators, and community members in Arizona,
Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Montana, Tennessee, Texas, and in all States
and territories are advocating for safe and inclusive learning
environments that affirm LGBTQI+ young people, particularly those who
are transgender, nonbinary, Black, Indigenous, people of color, and
people with disabilities;
Whereas affirming policies, such as enumerated anti-bullying protections, gender
neutral dress code guidelines, and inclusive learning practices, are
proven strategies to address hostile learning environments for all
students; and
Whereas we must all demand the best possible future for all young people in
schools, particularly those who identify as LGBTQI+, without exception:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) supports the goals and ideals of the Rise Up for
LGBTQI+ Youth in Schools Initiative in demanding the best
possible future for all young people in schools, particularly
those who identify as LGBTQI+;
(2) recognizes the contributions of students and families,
educators, and community members who participate in the Day of
(No) Silence to draw attention to the bullying, harassment,
assault, and discrimination faced by LGBTQI+ students; and
(3) encourages each State, territory, and locality to
support the Rise Up for LGBTQI+ Youth in Schools Initiative and
adopt laws and policies that prohibit bias-based victimization,
exclusion, and erasure.
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