A "bullying bill" died in the North Carolina Legislature after "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" provisions were added to the House version.
The Senate version of the School Violence Prevention Act was supported by the North Carolina Family Policy Council, which is associated with Focus on the Family. But the House added vague provisions to give special rights to homosexual and "transgendered" students.
"Some media accounts have suggested the efforts of groups like the North Carolina Family Policy Council advocate bullying," said John Rustin, vice president and director of government relations for the council. "This could not be further from the truth. The council fully supported the Senate version of the bill, because it did not contain a provision adopted by the House that listed specific categories including 'sexual orientation' and 'gender identity or expression.'
"The insistence to keep 'sexual orientation' in the bill is what ultimately led to its demise."
Caleb H. Price, research analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said: "The bullying of any student, for any reason, is not acceptable, and the best anti-bullying laws are those that protect all students — not just those who self-identify with the politically correct elite."
