On the recordJuly 18, 2013
If a school said that African American children could not take advanced math, it would be wrong and illegal. I think most of us agree if a school said that Jewish children couldn't enroll in a certain program, that would be wrong--and it is illegal. In most States in this country, though, if a school says that a child who is gay or lesbian or bisexual or transgender, or perceived to be, there is no legal protection for that child. Now, this is not simply a theoretical problem. LGBT children have been bullied and harassed and mistreated across this country. The stories are heartbreaking, and they often end in family tragedy, like suicide. There is a serious proposal that would remedy this injustice that was sponsored by 156 Members of the House of Representatives and there was an attempt to make that in order for debate and a vote. It should have been, and it was not. This is a serious issue. Frankly, unless the majority leadership agrees there would be a separate and independent chance to move that bill, this was the chance to move that bill. No child should be left behind. Certainly, a child should not be left behind because of their race, their religion, their ethnicity. That should extend to their sexual orientation as well, and we should have had a chance to vote on that. For that reason and many others, I oppose this rule.
