There is growing outrage and disgust aimed at a recently passed bill in the Michigan Senate that would allow teachers and students to harass and bully others as long as they can claim their actions are rooted in a "sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction."
Wednesday, the Republican-controlled state senate in Michigan passed an anti-bullying bill that protects school bullies instead of those they victimize. The bill passed by the Republican controlled state senate is clearly a nod to conservative Christians, who want to preserve their right to torture and torment gay and lesbian youth in the public school.
Since the law allows bullying based on religious and moral convictions, those who truly believe homosexuality is wrong are free to torment and torture LGBT students without fear of consequence.
Fellow Examiner Staks Rosch explains:
Fundamentalist Christians have long had a problem with legislation aimed at protecting children from bullying because they see it as an attack on their religious beliefs. Many Christians in America interpret the Bible to encourage them to inform others of what they consider to be sinful behavior. They view this as their moral obligation to harass and bully others as a way to “get them right with God.”
The bill, "Matt's Safe School Law", is named for 14-year-old Matt Epling who committed suicide in 2008 after being bullied by his classmates. Matt’s father, Kevin Epling, expressed his dismay in a Facebook post after the state senate vote on Wednesday. “I am ashamed that this could be Michigan’s bill on anti-bullying,” wrote Epling. “For years the line [from Republicans] has been ‘no protected classes,’ and the first thing they throw in…was a very protected class, and limited them from repercussions of their own actions.”
Michigan Senate Democratic Leader Gretchen Whitmer slammed the bill. The following is an excerpt from her statement on the floor of the Michigan state senate:
As passed today, bullying kids is OK if a student, parent, teacher or school employee can come up with a moral or religious reason for doing it.You may be able to pat yourselves on the back today and say that you did something. But in actuality you are explicitly outlining how to get away with bullying."
The following is a sample of relevant tweets from Friday’s Twitter stream:
Just read that Michigan has literally legalized bullying as long as the bully can prove he was bullying based on religious belief. Crazy!!!!Wow.. this is disgusting: Michigan GOP Pass Bullying Bill Giving 'License To Bully'Excuse me Michigan? Bullying for a "religious or moral reason" does not make it okay. Students will not thank you.Republican/Christian nutjobs just can't race to the bottom fast enough can they?Want to bully classmates, but worried about being punished? InMichigan, just say your religious belief made you do itWTF Michigan?! Seriously, W.T.F.?!Soulless Republicans in Michigan pass a bill to legalize antigay bullying.
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