By 365gay Newswire
06.24.2009 3:00pm EDT

I used to live there and if they can do this, we can do it anywhere.

(North Carolina) An anti-bullying bill was passed in a 58-57 vote Tuesday by the North Carolina House of Representatives. The bill protects students on the basis of race, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.
The bill requires that incidents of bullying be reported by students, teachers, and volunteers. The details of the reporting procedures and punishments, however, would be defined by each school district.
House Republicans opposed the bill, saying that it set a precedent for expanding gay rights into state personnel laws, anti-discrimination laws and hate crimes statutes. They wanted the categories of vicims – like gay students – to be stripped out and replaced with a general bill that protected all students and defined the punishments for the bullies.
“Yesterday we talked about the need for this bill because these kids, these youths in school are doing vicious things,” said Rep. Tom Tillis, a Republican. “Vicious enough to convince somebody to take their life. Today we’re saying that’s not enough to mandate consequences.”
House Democrats said that the punishments, which included corporal punishment, were intended to derail the bill.
No changes were made to the bill, however, and House Democrats passed the bill 58-57. Six Democrats joined 51 Republicans in voting no.
The bill now needs the signature of Gov. Bev Perdue to become law. Only seven other states have identified gay students among potential targets for harassment.