Gay Students at the Center of Bullying Debate in Minnesota Senate

The Minnesota Senate education committee approved a bill today that would require schools to write policies prohibiting "harassment, bullying, intimidation and violence" based on a student's race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, disability, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age or physical characteristics, reports a local Minnesota newspaper. The bill is now up for vote by the full state Senate. Much of the debate has focused on the bill's inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression because of opponents' belief that the bill will lead to statewide curriculum that will "favor the gay lifestyle." Proponents argue that the bill, including its specific categorizations of types of bullying, is necessary in order to fight against the constant harassment of Minnesota students.