HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.C.R. NO. |
88 |
TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004 |
H.D. 1 |
|
STATE OF HAWAII |
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RESOLUTION
REQUESTING A STUDY OF GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER YOUTH OF HAWAII.
WHEREAS, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth have the highest suicide rate among teenager demographic groups; and
WHEREAS, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth are at a significantly higher risk than their peers of becoming runaways; and
WHEREAS, youth in Hawaii who are status offenders and who are identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender are incarcerated in detention homes and youth correctional facilities for a much longer period of time than other youth; and
WHEREAS, there are very few group home facilities in Hawaii that will knowingly accept gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth; and
WHEREAS, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth are three times as likely as their counterparts to face harassment in public schools, and are more likely to drop out of school; and
WHEREAS, in 2000, the Department of Education amended its administrative rules making it an offense to harass, bully, annoy, or alarm another student "for reasons of, including but not limited to, race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, religion, disability, or sexual orientation which create an intimidating, hostile or offensive school environment, or interfere with the education of a student, or otherwise adversely affect the educational opportunity of a student"; and
WHEREAS, the Hawaii Safe Schools Coalition (HSSC) was formed to help ensure the adoption and implementation of the changes to the Department of Education's recently amended administrative rules that prohibit harassment because of a student's sexual orientation; and
WHEREAS, although February 2004 will be the third anniversary of the approval of the changes to the Department of Education's administrative rules by Governor Cayetano, the implementation of the changes has been slow; and
WHEREAS, HSSC has official representation from private community service organizations and concerned individuals, including the Pediatric Department of the Kapiolani Women's and Children's Hospital, Hawaii Anne E. Dyson Community Pediatrics Training Initiative, University of Hawaii, The Center (formerly the Gay and Lesbian Community Center), American Friends Service Committee, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays-Oahu Chapter, and Life Foundation; and
WHEREAS, HSSC has been meeting to follow the implementation of the prohibition of student harassment based on sexual orientation and to ensure that implementation occurs in every public school; and
WHEREAS, it has been thirteen years since H.C.R. No. 317, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, Regular Session of 1990, was passed by the Legislature urging a study of gay and lesbian youth in the State of Hawaii; and
WHEREAS, in response to H.C.R. No. 317, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, the Report on Hawaii's Gay and Lesbian Youth was published in November 1992, and confirmed that there were gay and lesbian youth in Hawaii, demonstrated that Hawaii's schools were dangerous places for these youths due to harassment, and made recommendations to address this danger, of which few were ever implemented; and
WHEREAS, HSSC has strongly urged that formal follow-up studies be conducted to assess the experience and needs of Hawaii's gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth twelve years after the original study; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, the Senate concurring, that the Legislature recognizes and supports the tremendous professional efforts of the members of HSSC and their representative organizations for their dedicated work to address the known and to be identified needs of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth community in Hawaii; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education and other departments as applicable, with the help of HSSC and other relevant community groups, are requested to study the demographics and needs of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth in Hawaii's public schools; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature encourages government and private support of the formal and professional study of the demographics and needs of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature encourages the development of cooperative working efforts between government and private agencies to promote humane and supportive solutions to problems faced by gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth relating to Hawaii's social services, judicial, and educational systems; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature encourages further legislative and public policy-making reviews to ensure equitable and fair treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to report findings and recommendations based on its review of the implementation and effectiveness of the Department of Education's administrative rules prohibiting harassment based on a student's sexual orientation, as well as findings and recommendations based on its study of the needs and demographics of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth community, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2005; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Superintendent of Education, Chairperson of the Board of Education, the Mayor and Chairperson of the Council of each county, and to the Governor, who is requested to send copies to the members of HSSC.