Family Research Council doesn't want lgbt students protected from bullying

Count the anti-gay hate group Family Research Council as another religious right entity speaking against President Obama's anti-bullying initiative:

Tom McClusky, vice president of Government Affairs at the Christian Conservative group Family Research Council (FRC), has attacked President Barack Obama's anti-bullying campaign as an attempt to force anti-gay students “in the closet.”

. . . “It's ironic that when the President was trying to push this bullying program that he cited that he was once bullied as a child, because that's exactly what his policies are leading to, is bullying by the federal government and by a homosexual agenda that seeks to make children hide their Christianity and their religion in the closet and to silence those who would speak out against what they don't believe,” McClusky said.

In reality, the President's initiative doesn't exclude anyone but it does pay special attention to the bullying of lgbt students. And this is because:

Young LGBT people may be more at-risk for bullying. Compared to their heterosexual peers, some LGBT kids, teens and young adults are at increased risk for bullying, teasing, harassment, physical assault, and suicide-related behaviors.

Over a ten-year period more than 7,000 LGBT middle and high school students (aged 13-21), were surveyed. The results were published in The 2009 National School Climate Survey. The survey found that in the preceding year, because of their sexual orientation:

• Eight in ten LGBT students had been verbally harassed at school
• Four in ten had been physically harassed at school
• Six in ten felt unsafe at school
• One in five had been the victim of a physical assault at school

Unfortunately, these types of experiences with violence also occur outside of school and may continue into young adulthood.

Young LGBT people may be more at-risk for sexual discrimination and bias. Young LGBT individuals may be bullied as a part of sexual/gender discrimination and bias by their schoolmates, ethnic or religious groups or by other societal concerns related to sexual orientation and gender identity.

In McClusky's beleagured whinings, he didn't cite an iota of proof that "Christian students" will be ignored by Obama's initiative. Nor does he cite any statistics regarding the "bullying of Christian students" which is comparable to statistics regarding the bullying of lgbt students.

In fact, he doesn't cite any statistics at all.

So in other words, McClusky's claim is just hot air and the only problem that FRC has with the President's anti-bullying initiative is that it includes lgbt students.

It's sad enough when any students - especially lgbt students - are being bullied. It's even worse when a so-called Christian group wants us to ignore the problem.

Related posts:

Homophobic writer makes case for Obama's anti-bullying campaign

Focus on the Family's love for anti-gay bullies