Anti-Bullying Legislation: Michigan Hate Crime Conference 2011

During the lunch break the speaker was Jamie Nabozny, the subject of the recent documentary Bullied. Before Nabozny spoke, he showed a clip from the documentary, a clip that dealt with the witnesses at his trial.

During his remarks Nabozny addressed several issues around his experience and the realities of bullying in the US. Nabozny stated that prevention was key and that as a society we need to begin as early as pre-school age to teach respect. The speaker stressed the point that many efforts at prevention only exist for a few years, which ultimately is ineffective since there is an ongoing turnover of students and that every generation needs constant anti-bullying education.

Nabozny also said there needs to be a comprehensive response to dealing with bullying. He stated that schools not only need clear policies in place, but there needs to be work done with victims, perpetrators and bystanders. Nabozny said it was obvious that schools work with victims, but he said too often perpetrators and bystanders are ignored.

What the speaker said about perpetrators is that often they themselves are victims of abuse, unstable family circumstances and sometimes they have not come to terms with their own sexual orientation. Nabozny said that some of the guys that bullied him for being gay, later came out as gay, which he suggests is why LGBTQ students are sometimes targeted for harassment and assault. Those who struggle with being public about their identity will sometimes act out against those who are public about being LGBTQ as a way of sending a message that they in no way identify as such.

Nabozny then said that bystanders are also an important population to target. First, it is important to get students who are bystanders involved, because the more they report incidents of bias, harassment or assault, the more likely it is that the school administration will take action. Once bystander students take action it sends a strong message to perpetrators that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated and that there are people who support those who are victims. Nabozny also said that students who are also bystanders to assault and harassment are themselves traumatized, which is yet another reason to empower these students to take action.

Nabozny ended his comments by stating that it is critical that Michigan pass anti-bullying legislation, but he needs to be legislation that is clear and comprehensive so that all public institutions will need to comply and so that there is a strong mechanism of accountability.