From the Detroit News:
"Matt's Safe School Law" passed 26-11 with all Democrats voting against it. The bill is named for Matt Eppling, an East Lansing 14-year-old who committed suicide after being bullied by classmates in 2002.
The law includes a section noting it doesn't abridge First Amendment free speech rights or prohibit expression of religious or moral viewpoints — a provision Democrats fear could be used to justify harassment of gay, lesbian or transgender students.
"I am ashamed that this could be Michigan's bill on anti-bullying when in fact it is a 'bullying is OK in Michigan law,'" Kevin Eppling, Matt's father, whose letter was read by Sen. Glenn Anderson during Wednesday's session.
Democrats tried unsuccessfully to attach an amendment to list characteristics — such as race, gender and sexual preference — that are off-limits for bullying. They said policies that include detailed lists have held up better when challenged before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Eppling spoke more to the
Michigan Messenger:
“For years the line has been ‘no protected classes,’ and the first thing they throw in — very secretly — was a very protected class, and limited them from repercussions of their own actions. This line has no purpose within this piece of legislation except to incite ‘religious bigotry’ within our schools. Schools are trying to build more tolerant students and future leaders, not automatons blindly following misguided adult leaders who seek a return to a 1950′s America,” Epling said. “This will only cause unrest in schools and give schools one more thing to deal with rather than trying to solve a problem. Also it is not a very well thought out ploy, as in some areas of the state the tables might be turned on the ‘anointed ones’ they seek to keep from being punished. This is just very wrong and the way it was done was wrong as well. It was bullying at its best.”
This is a disaster.
Essentially what they have done is taken the impetus to protect children from being bullied and turned it into a Civil Rights bill affirming people's right to "express their moral outrage."
Of course, gays, lesbians, trans and bisexuals will be target number 1, as hate crime statistic show they are.
What to do if a Christian is just expressing their moral objections to Muslims? Or Jews? (Neither is an insignificant population in Michigan.)
Where exactly does your right to express your moral and religious objections end and harassment and intimidation begin? I'm sure we'll be weighing that one in the Michigan courts in the coming years. The morality scolds may well now have the upper hand of having been vindicated by statute. Well done.
Unfortunately bad laws are much harder to get off the books than they are to put on them, as we've seen with DADT and DOMA.
The bill moves to the Republican controlled House.
12:45 PM PT: This was kind of a rant. Eclectablog has a better diary here. It is a more comprehensive look that this topic. I recommend recommending it.
