Legislative Malfeasance in Michigan
Filed By Amy Hunter | November 04, 2011 3:00 PM
http://www.bilerico.com/2011/11/legislative_malfeasance_in_michigan.php (http://www.bilerico.com/2011/11/legislative_malfeasance_in_michigan.php)
An "anti-bullying" bill with exceptions, really?
In a stunning misrepresentation of the public trust, ultra-conservatives in Michigan pushed an "anti-bullying" initiative through the state Senate Wednesday after attaching an amendment that radically changed the legislation's impact. The surprise change guts the bill by giving bullies a pass if their offense was perpetrated because of "deep moral conviction" or "religious belief." Senate Bill 137, originally intended to protect all students from bullying, was under a cloud of criticism by Democrats and the gay and transgender community for its lack of enumerated protections before being eviscerated further by right-wing conservatives.
Lack of enumeration was already a point that gay, transgender and progressive communities were citing when characterizing SB 137 as "weak." An enumerated bill would be a much stronger measure as it would list, or enumerate, classes of people that are most often targeted by bullies.
So the moral of the story is that if you live in Michigan and have a transsexual child, you should teach them to fight and then have them beat the dog-crap out of their bullies and then cite a "deep moral conviction" to do so as the cause? Got it. ::)