The recent string of LGBT youth suicides across the country has underscored the bullying that is plaguing our schools. For many in the LGBT community, this problem is all too familiar—over 85 percent of gay and lesbian youth report being harassed in school and a third report having skipped school out of fear. Right at the moment when they are coming to terms with their identities and most in need of love and support, bullying can have a profound impact on their lives.
Calling out bullying is not enough. We need to change the culture in our schools to prevent it from happening in the first place. Anytime bullying is accepted or ignored, a student pays the price.
Teachers and administrators, hall monitors and lunch room aides all must set the tone and engage directly whenever bullying takes place. Encouraging parental involvement in our students’ education increases the likelihood that students will succeed in school—and it can also have an impact on a student’s conduct in the classroom.
Rather than avoiding the issue, schools should embrace LGBT youth and make clear that it’s okay to be a gay or lesbian student in Chicago and Chicago Public Schools. Gay-straight alliances and other programs that provide support for LGBT youth can help to ensure that our schools are welcoming all students.
As a Congressman, I represented many LGBT Chicagoans and I fought for equality. I worked with community leaders to secure funding for the Center on Halsted which provides a lifeline to LGBT victims of bullying and abuse through its Anti-Violence Project and youth program. I co-sponsored legislation that would make targeting someone because of their sexual orientation or gender identity a hate crime, and saw that it was signed into law as White House Chief-of-Staff.
Chicago is a city that thrives on its diversity. We are strong because we are different. The threads of many communities run across our city, and make Chicago what it is today. We have made great strides toward equality and acceptance in Chicago, but our city cannot be whole until every child feels welcome in our schools.