Obama, Looking For Easy Low-Cost Wins, Endorses Two Anti-Bullying Bills

President Obama, looking for easy, low-cost wins to placate his base — especially after angering LGBT allies for refusing to sign an executive order banning anti-gay discrimination among federal contractors — today announced his support for two anti-bullying bills in the wake of a firestorm over a GOP Senatorial candidate’s attack on one, the Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA).

READ: GOP Senate Hopeful: Bullying Bill Unconstitutional Because Kids Don’t Know They’re Gay

Conveniently tied into today’s GLSEN-supported National Day of Silence, an annual event designed to highlight and protest anti-LGBT bullying in schools, the President today announced his support for both the Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA) and the Safe Schools Improvement Act (SSIA). Both bills have been languishing in Congress since 2010.

“The president and his administration have taken many steps to address the issue of bullying,” Shin Inouye, a White House spokesperson, told reporters. “He is proud to support the Student Non-Discrimination Act, introduced by Senator Franken and Congressman Polis, and the Safe Schools Improvement Act, introduced by Senator Casey and Congresswoman Linda Sanchez. These bills will help ensure that all students are safe and healthy and can learn in environments free from discrimination, bullying and harassment.”

In 2010 the President introduced StopBullying.gov, and a companion Facebook page. Also in 2010 President Obama released his It Gets Better video (image, top,) also.

Last year, U.S. Rep. Jared Polis introduced the Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA) in the House and Senator Al Franken introduced a companion version in the Senate. SNDA has an estimated 99 co-sponsors in the House and 27 co-sponsors in the Senate. Polios also released a fact sheet.

The Safe Schools Improvement Act (SSIA) was introduced in the Senate jointly by Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Mark Kirk (R-IL).

Chris Johnson at the Washington Blade today, in an extensive article, noted:

Both pieces of legislation address bullying in different ways. SNDA would prohibit and harassment in public elementary and secondary schools based on a student’s actual or perceived LGBT status. SSIA would require schools to adopt anti-bullying codes of conduct and submit to states data to the Department of Education on bullying.

Obama endorses the legislation as his administration has taken flak from the LGBT community for saying it won’t issue at this time an executive order requiring federal contractors to have non-discrimination policies based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

On the same day the endorsement was announced, the White House was set to host a screening of “Bully,” a 2011 documentary about school bullying that follows the lives of five students who were bullied on a daily basis.

Over the past two days, GOP Senatorial candidate Heather Wilson came under fire for her comments last week mocking anti-LGBT bullying in schools.

“It is an act that would criminalize harassment or bullying in schools of children who are gay or who — it criminalizes bullying. It basically makes federal funding dependent on school board policies that will not tolerate bullying of people based on their sexual orientation or, you know, even when kids are below puberty,” Wilson said.

HRC and others have condemned Wilson’s ignorant and debilitating comments.

Both SNDA and SSIA have been all but dormant. The President’s sudden acknowledgment of them is a positive move for LGBT youth who daily are barraged by anti-LGBT messages from conservatives.