Protesting what they describe as “pervasive anti-gay harassment” in Minnesota’s largest school district, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the National Center for Lesbian Rights filed a lawsuit yesterday on behalf of five students who have “faced severe anti-LGBT bullying and harassment in school.” The lawsuit challenges the neutrality policy of the Anoka-Hennepin School District, which prevents school staff from talking openly about homosexuality or LGBT issues and from intervening when they see anti-LGBT bullying; the SPLC and NCLR say the policy is “stigmatizing LGBT students – casting them as pariahs not fit to be mentioned within the school community.”

The school district and its 40,000 students lie squarely in the congressional district of presidential candidate and U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R), whose anti-gay rhetoric (she has likened homosexuality to “personal bondage“) and financial dependence on her husband’s pray-away-the-gay clinic have provoked a strong backlash among the LGBT community.

Bachmann has declined to offer any official statement on the Anoke-Hinnepin Schools’ approach to its LGBT students, but her position on anti-bullying measures and her campaign donations both fall into line with the district’s neutrality policy. At a 2006 Minnesota Education Committee hearing on legislation mandating anti-bullying policies in schools, Bachmann questioned just what a zero-tolerance bulling policy would look like — if it would mean we should “be expecting boys to be girls:”

“I think for all us our experience in public schools is there have always been bullies, always have been, always will be. I just don’t know how we’re ever going to get to point of zero tolerance and what does it mean? [...]

One question would be, ‘what would be our definition of bullying?’ Will it get to the point where we are completely stifling free speech and expression? Will it mean that, what form of behavior will there be, will we be expecting boys to be girls? What is it exactly that we’re asking for?

I don’t say that as a sexist comment, but there are just differences with boys and with girls when they’re on the playground, when they’re in the classroom.

None of us like inappropriate behavior. None of us like sassy children. But there’s just a fact of life that as we grow up, we’re kind of little barbarians when we’re two and our process as mothers and fathers is to civilize our children. I just don’t know how we can realistically expect a zero tolerance of bullying behavior.”

Listen to Rep. Bachmann’s remarks:

 

 

She later questioned whether the definition of bullying included in the bill could be “ruled unconstitutional for vagueness.”

But not only has Bachmann refused to take action against school bullying in Minnesota, one of her top donors is actively working to keep the neutrality policy in the Anoka-Hennepin schools. Barbara Anderson and her husband, George Anderson of Crown Iron Works, have donated $13,400 and $9,200, respectively, and Crown Iron Works ranked as Bachmann’s 12th largest donor over her political career with $26,850 in total contributions.

As the head of the Parents Action Initiative, Barbara Anderson has pushed the Anoka-Hennepin school district to keep its “outstanding” neutrality policy and attacked the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (a “dangerous” and “child corruption organization”) for its “homosexual propaganda.”

In a radio interview with the director of Americans for the Truth About Homosexuality, Anderson even blamed the anti-gay harassment plaguing the Anoka-Hennepin schools on homosexuals and LGBT advocates, warning that “homosexual behavior is one of the most hazardous behaviors that kids could get into and start practicing.”

Given that one in five of Minnesota’s gay students “has been punched, kicked or violently injured over sexual orientation,” Bachmann’s position on school bullying and her association with Anderson warrant greater attention.

–Sarah Bufkin

With controversy still simmering about the Iowa FAMiLY LEADER’s “marriage pledge” for Republican presidential candidates, a top Iowa Republican e-mailed the organization’s leaders today advising them that they were on the verge of losing all political credibility in the state.

Iowa House Speaker Pro-Tem Jeff Kaufmann (R), who worked as a county chairman on FAMiLY LEADER head Bob Vander Plaats’ failed gubernatorial campaign, e-mailed Vander Plaats and the organization’s other leaders to tell them that the pledge had “ridiculous implications” and that they would soon have “no impact” in the state, the Des Moines Register reported today:

“Guys your integrity is in question and your political credibility is waning to the point of no impact,” Kaufmann said in a July 13 email to Vander Plaats, Danny Carroll and Chuck Hurley, who are all part of The Family Leader and IowaFamilyPolicyCenter’s efforts to eliminate same-sex marriage rights.

Vander Plaats and the FAMiLY LEADER have been criticized repeatedly over the extreme anti-gay pledge, which also contained a bizarre reference to slavery that was dropped after the organization came under criticism. Only Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) signed the pledge, which the FAMiLY LEADER said was imperative for receiving its endorsement. The other candidates, meanwhile, spoke out against it, and former Gov. Gary Johnson (R-NM) called it a “promise to discriminate.”

Iowa GOP activists slammed the pledge as a “distraction” last week, while Vander Plaats and the FAMiLY LEADER claimed it was misconstrued and blamed ThinkProgress for drumming up a false controversy. Vander Plaats was also caught on camera laughing at an anti-gay joke, and Blue Bunny, a company with close connections to Vander Plaats, distanced itself from the organization.

Now, Vander Plaats is being rebuked by a former employee in Kaufmann, who also told Vander Plaats to back off his threats to primary Iowa Republicans who did not support his organization. “Keep your primary threats to yourself,” Kauffman wrote. “You have to have respect to carry out a threat in this great state.”

GOProud’s Jimmy LaSalvia appeared on MSNBC this afternoon and argued that the LGBT community needs to “focus our efforts on preventing hate crimes” by advocating for stronger Second Amendment rights. LaSalvia was recently gay bashed while riding his bike in Washington, D.C.

The gay Republican group recently made headlines for requesting a meeting with Michele Bachmann and hinting that it could endorse the Minnesota Republican, despite her anti-gay positions. LaSalvia said that “at this point we are having a dialogue with them and when there is something to report, I’ll let you know.” Watch it:

On Wednesday, ThinkProgress reported on the connections between the Wells family behind Wells Dairy and Blue Bunny and Bob Vander Plaats, the president of the FAMiLY LEADER who was recently caught laughing at an anti-gay faggot joke and suggesting that President Obama was born in Kenya. Mike Wells, the president and CEO of the company, was a member of Vander Plaats’ council of advisers during his gubernatorial campaign and public records reveal that Wells family members have contributed at least $456,000 to Vander Plaats and his affiliated organizations and campaigns.

Yesterday, Blue Bunny issued a statement clarifying that despite the tremendous contributions of its chief executives, the company itself has not endorsed Vander Plaats or donated money to his campaigns:

Regarding Recent Posts About Political Contributions
Blue Bunny and Wells Enterprises have never donated money to Bob Vander Plaat’s political campaign. Everyone, including our employees, has a right to support political activities within their role as a private citizen. What our employees support personally is in no way an endorsement by our brand or our company.

The company’s CEO, however, is still committed to the Vander Plaats “experience.” As he notes in his endorsement of Vander Plaats’ consulting firm, “Bob is the real deal! He inspires leaders to lead via his many successes, his personal stories, and his contagious enthusiasm. Fasten your seatbelts. You’re in for a real experience.”

Meanwhile, a Facebook group has formed calling for a boycott of Blue Bunny ice cream — which also has endorsement deals with Weight Watchers, Disney, and Ace of Cakes — and other bloggers are calling attention to other businesses that have supported Vander Plaats.