Legislature rejects anti-bullying bill

The House watered down and then rejected an anti-bullying proposal for public schools after members engaged in an angry debate in which opponents claimed the measure was an attempt to promote a “gay agenda” in schools. As originally proposed by Rep. Austin Badon, D-New Orleans, House Bill 112 would have declared that bullying based on sexual orientation is banned in schools. Bullying of students is prohibited in current Louisiana law, with school boards required to include such bans in student codes of conduct and determine punishment for violations. Badon’s bill would have described what was prohibited to include harassment based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, mental or physical disability, physical characteristics or clothing. “No human being, regardless of their lifestyle, should be subjected to this type of abuse,” Badon says. Criticism of the measure was led by Christian conservatives, including the Louisiana Family Forum. Opponents said the proposal was a backdoor attempt to make homosexuality more acceptable in schools. “This bill is presented to promote the agenda of the forced teaching of alternative lifestyles in our public schools,” says Rep. Alan Seabaugh, R-Shreveport. Seabaugh successfully stripped any reference to gender identity, sexual orientation and the other characteristics from the measure. Then the House voted 54-43 against the proposal.