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	Vol.7, No 17, September 28, 1999
	New bill protects gays By Sarah LaVoie Daily Forty-Niner The California State Assembly and Senate have passed a bill that will prohibit harassment and discrimination in the schools on the same basis that it prohibits hate crimes.    The bill,  passed by the Senate on Sept. 9 and by the Assembly the following day, would allow this protection to students attending school in California.   In a recent study funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of more than 8,000 students where?, researchers found that one out of every 13 students had been assaulted or harassed because they were perceived to be gay.    The CDC also found that four out of five of those assaulted or harassed were actually straight.    Current law criminalizes hate violence and prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, but the Educational Code does not protect students from discrimination at school on the basis of sexual orientation.  According to section 422.6(a) of the California Penal Code, any act of assault, oppression, or intimidation because of an individualís race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender, or sexual orientation or because he or she perceives that the other person has one or more of those characteristics is prohibited.  According to the bill's author, Assemblywoman Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, the bill, AB 537, will give gay and lesbian students in all educational institutions, including post-secondary institutions, and their parents access to an administrative grievance process currently available to other students and their parents when discrimination occurs. Some Cal State Long Beach students have dismissed the bill as frivolous. "It sounds like a good idea, can't really do any harm, but itís just one more law," said industrial design student Matthew Valbuena. "It's not really necessary to go that far." LaKisha Richard, a human development major, agrees. "That seems like the least of our problems," she said. "There have to be more important things that need attention."   Psychology student Nicole Andrews said the bill has the potential for allowing frivolous lawsuits.  "This is just another thing that someone can sue for," Andrews said. "I'm not for it." Management operations student Manita Manhnarong said she believes the bill will protect studentsí individuality. "We should not be judged by our sexuality, religion, etc.," she said. "We can now go to school without being harassed. We get that protection elsewhere already and school should be no different."    According to Kuehl's office, this bill will only add the notion of sexual orientation to a discrimination law that already protects students, creating almost no additional cost to implement the legislation.		New bill protects gays L.B. buses brought to life through poetry GOP aims to get women, minorities Area code change halted Growing women's center aching for volunteers Fear, hatred back Students, retailers need more spirit President takes stand on credit cards 'Romeo and Juliet' well worth one's time 'Three Kings' action packed Men drown opposition over weekend 49ers open conference play with mixed results Another disappointing weekend for soccer Fall 99 ISSUES DAILY 49ER HOMEPAGE
Forty-Niner Publications, Department of Journalism, California State University, Long Beach ©1999 All rights reserved.