As I wrote in my previous comment, the article gives the impression that, since you oppose HB-1366, you don’t care if homosexuals are bullied, that such bullying doesn’t bother you. Your message above makes it clear that this is impression is incorrect.

Rev. Creech noted in his editorial, The School Violence Prevention Act: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing the reasons for the League’s opposition:

“Certainly no reasonable individual would want to be complicit with bullying for any reason. At least this is what the Senate thought and stripped away all of the enumerations from the House version of the bill and sent it back to that chamber for concurrence.

Nevertheless, the House voted not to concur by a 60-56 margin and Rep. Glazier vowed to get the objectionable language of “sexual orientation” and “gender identity or expression” placed back in the legislation.

The fact of the matter is no enumerations could cover all the bullying scenarios and none are needed to provide the essential protections for North Carolina’s children. At least this was the view of the North Carolina Board of Education in 2004. After considering an anti-bullying policy that initially listed 16 specific characteristics including “sexual orientation” and “gender identity/expression,” the board unanimously voted to approve the policy without the specified list.

Board of Education members steered clear of specific classifications in their policy for a number of reasons. Several were concerned that a list would cause school administrators to overlook bullying of other groups that were not on the list; and at least one member feared the classifications list would create a victim mentality in students who feel they fit the criteria.

So why insist on enumerations in the legislation? It is because there really is a hidden agenda by pro-homosexual influences.”

The Christian Action League’s position against the measure was no more bigoted than that of the North Carolina Board of Education which felt that any enumerations were necessary to effectively protect all of North Carolina’s children. Bullying is bullying under any circumstances and should not be tolerated for any reason.

I think that bullying other students, beating them up, or doing other acts of violence against them, is not acceptable under any circumstances. I don’t understand how you can find such actions acceptable if the victim is homosexual, if that is indeed your position.

If, instead, you agree that bullying and violence against students is never acceptable, even if the victim is homosexual, and that the proposed legislation is simply the wrong way to approach the problem, then what do you suggest as an alternative? If your answer is “do nothing, who cares if gays get beaten up”, (and that is certainly the impression one gets from your article), then you have no room to complain about those who see you as an anti-gay bigot.