BALTIMORE, Md. — A resolution was introduced before the City Council to support the Baltimore City School Board's policy to define gender-based discrimination in city schools.
The resolution aims to update district policy that expands protections for students who identify in the LGBTQ community.
The purpose is to urge Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners to pass Policy JBB, a policy looking beyond sexual harassment by clearly defining gender-based harassment, enacting important protections, and defining the rights of transgender and gender non-conforming students in city schools.
Officials say according to a report by GLSEN, the majority of LGBTQ students in Maryland have experienced anti-LGBTQ victimization in school.
"This policy is a step in the right direction toward letting our LGBTQ brothers, sisters, and siblings know that they are not only seen, but loved," said Councilman Zeke Cohen.
Partner organizations standing behind the updated district policy are the Maryland Chapter of GLSEN, the nation’s leading education non-profit addressing LGBTQ issues in K-12 schools, the Mayor's LGBTQ Commission, and Wide Angle Youth Media.
There will be an opportunity for public comment on April 2 from 6:30 – 7:45 p.m. at Baltimore City Public Schools, 200 E. North Ave.
