THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

71

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE CONCURRENT

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 teenagers; and

WHEREAS, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth are at a significantly higher risk for 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 face three times the harassment in our public schools as their counterparts; and

WHEREAS, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth are more likely to drop out of school than other students; 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 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 then Governor Cayetano, the implementation of the changes has been slow; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Safe Schools Coalition has official representation from private community service organizations and concerned individuals, including the Pediatric Department of the Kapi'olani Women's and Children's Hospital; the 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 O'ahu Chapter; and Life Foundation; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Safe Schools Coalition has been meeting to follow the implementation of the prohibition of student harassment based on sexual orientation and to ensure that the 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 only gay and lesbian youth in the State of Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, H.C.R. No. 317, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, produced the Report on Hawaii's Gay and Lesbian Youth published in November 1992. The Report on Hawaii's Gay and Lesbian Youth not only confirmed that there were indeed gay and lesbian youth in Hawaii, but also demonstrated that Hawai'i's schools were dangerous places for these youths due to harassment and made recommendations to address this danger. However, few of the recommendations made in the Report were ever implemented; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Safe Schools Coalition strongly urges 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 Senate of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Legislature recognizes and supports the tremendous professional efforts of the members of the Hawaii Safe Schools Coalition 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, with the help of the Hawaii Safe Schools Coalition, is 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 the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth community; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature also encourages 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 when involved with 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 that prohibit harassment because of 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 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 in turn is requested to send copies to the members of the Hawaii Safe Schools Coalition.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth; Study