‘License to bully’ legislation’s passage resulting in backlash
Thursday saw a flurry activity over the Republican-controlled Senate’s passage of what critics are calling ‘license to bully’ legislation on Wednesday morning.
Jul 31, 2020120.6K Shares1.8M Views
Thursday saw a flurry activity over the Republican-controlled Senate’s passage of what critics are calling ‘license to bully’ legislation on Wednesday morning.
Equality Michigan, a statewide advocacy group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, launched a petitiontargeting the state House leadership. The letter sent to lawmakers reads, in part:
“„“Please fight for a comprehensive anti-bullying bill that eliminates outrageous exemptions, enumerates the reasons that students are most often targeted, and adds reporting requirements.”
Another individual has also started a petition drive targeting Michigan’s Republican Gov. Rick Snyderon the issue.
In addition, Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer’s (D-East Lansing) passionate rebuke of the legislation from the Senate floor has garnered over 11,000 views on YouTube, and resulted in emails from all over the world, her office reports.
On Thursday, Mike Flannigan, superintendent of public instruction for the Michigan Department of Education, condemned the legislation in a written statement:
“„“There should never be an excuse or reason or justification for anyone to bully, intimidate, or harass a student. I cannot imagine any real moral conviction or religious teaching that says it acceptable to inflict pain, humiliation, and suffering on another person, especially a child. The legislation, as passed by the Michigan Senate, is a disappointing development in a process that we have worked on so diligently together for the protection of all schoolchildren in Michigan. After my long relationship with families of children who have committed suicide after being bullied, I find this bill now to be a joke, especially as it is named in memory of one of those children.”
Even the legislation’s original sponsor, Sen. Rick Jones (R-Grand Ledge) toldthe Lansing State Journal he “could live without” the clause, but agreed to it because other members of his caucus wanted to protect First Amendment rights.
Here is the video of Whitmer’s speech:
Paolo Reyna
Reviewer
Paolo Reyna is a writer and storyteller with a wide range of interests. He graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Media Studies.
Paolo enjoys writing about celebrity culture, gaming, visual arts, and events. He has a keen eye for trends in popular culture and an enthusiasm for exploring new ideas. Paolo's writing aims to inform and entertain while providing fresh perspectives on the topics that interest him most.
In his free time, he loves to travel, watch films, read books, and socialize with friends.
Latest Articles
Popular Articles