If there were ever a group in need of protection from bullying, it is our gay youth. They are among the most likely kids to be bullied. They are also much more likely to pay a heavy price for that bullying:

The Centers for Disease Control/Massachusetts Department of Education Youth Risk Behavior Survey (1999) reports that 33 percent of gay youths will attempt suicide. In fact, gay teen suicide attempts are four times that of heterosexual youth.

One of the factors associated with this high rate is the verbal abuse, threats of physical abuse and sometimes actual abuse that they face.

Among gay adults I know are people who were verbally harassed on an almost daily basis, one who had his head stuffed into a toilet and one who was raped by a man who thought she needed to see what she was missing. Don't you think it's time someone stuck up for these kids?

Maybe the legislature should add itself to the list to protect itself from being bullied into legislating hatred.

Terry White

Cary