Victory! Governor Signs Bills on Bullying, Sex Ed
7/1/2009 - Last night around 5:30, Governor Beverly Perdue signed both the School Violence Prevention Act and the Healthy Youth Act. Now these two bills to protect the safety and health of young people in our state are the law of the land.
Sen. Julia Boseman, Equality NC's Ian Palmquist and Alex Miller, and Rep. Rick Glazier celebrate Gov. Perdue signing the School Violence Prevention Act into law.
Equality NC has been working for over three years to pass the School Violence Prevention Act. This is a huge victory for us and for North Carolina. Now, LGBT young people and other vulnerable students will have a powerful tool to help protect them from bullying and harassment.
This also marks the first time in our state's history that the terms "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" are part of our statutes. Indeed, it is the first time "gender identity" appears in the statutes of any Southern state.
Although the bill squeaked through on close votes, it is a huge step for our community and our state. For the first time, the right wing's bigotry and lies were not enough to keep our legislature from doing the right thing.
Equality NC thanks our amazing staff, volunteers, e-activists, coalition partners and legislative champions for making these historic victories possible.
Faith and Fairness Town Hall
