Yesterday a student at Westerville South High School in Westerville, Ohio, was called “fag” and “faggot” and punched in the head several times and is currently undergoing emergency medical testing for a possible concussion.
The student who does not identiy as gay, but does have a lesbian sister has been harassed for the last four years with little response from the school system.
The victim’s mother, Stacey G states: “Ever since the 5th grade we’ve been dealing with the bullying and harassment. The school is brushing off it’s responsibilities by just suspending the bully.
This comes week after a 15-year-old teenager in Chillicothe, Ohio was severely beaten in his high school class room for being gay. That attack occurred at Unioto High School and was caught on camera as fellow class members watched one teen wait for the victim to enter the room, push him to the ground and continually punch him in the face.
Equality Ohio Executive Director, Ed Mullen states that the incident proves that policies and training are needed to help end the bullying epidemic in our public school systems. Mullen says: “All students — gay or straight — need to be protected from attacks and harassment in schools. .
Unlike Chillicothe, the Westerville City School system does have a bullying policy that prohibits bullying and harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity, among other characteristics.
The School Day Security and Anti-Bullying Act (HB 116) would amend sections 3313.666 and 3313.667 of the Revised Code to require age-appropriate instruction on and parental notification of public schools’ policies prohibiting harassment, intimidation, or bullying. The bill has passed the Ohio House of Representatives and has been assigned to the Senate Education Committee where it sits waiting.
The victims attacker was only given only a five day suspension from school
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