Anti-bullying Legislation. Here is what it is REALLY About

The fight for "anti-bullying" legislation continues. The latest event was the attempt by Senate Democrats to add amendatory language to the charter school legislation on Thursday. Democrats want the phrases "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" added to the list of protected classes in the anti-bullying legislation. This has been going on for at least six years. Now, state Senators are trying to stage a sit-in at the Capitol to make their point.

Back when I was in the House, my colleague John Moolenaar and I offered an amendment to an anti-bullying bill to strip out such language. We changed it to say, in essence, ALL students should be protected from bullying, for ANY reason. Incidentally, one liberal writer was less than charitable in his objection to our amendment. In his tirade against us, he suggested that, "it might be a useful educational experience if some very large human being were to grab a couple Michigan state representatives, namely, John Moolenaar and Jack Hoogendyk, twist their arms painfully behind their back and smash their faces into the harsh stone of the Capitol building."

Why is the militant left so adamant about including these two "classes" in the legislation? It's all about ENUMERATION. You see, if a law is passed that enumerates these classes for special protection, a precedent is set. That enumeration can then be used in court cases. Cross dressers, among others, will then be a protected class and the precedent set in this amendment could be cited for providing that protection in any number of other situations.

Conservatives should stand firm and only allow for anti-bullying legislation that protects everyone without specific enumeration.