Will Michigan legislators give students the anti-bullying law we need?

This is a personal appeal to the Michigan state senate by Katy Butler, a 16-year-old student and bully victim from Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Bullying hurts, it's real, and it can kill. And it's a very serious problem that countless students like me face everyday in schools across Michigan.
Right now, legislators in Lansing are faced with a choice. The Michigan state senate can either do what's easy, or do what's right. They can pass a weak bill that won't actually protect students. Or they can pass a strong anti-bullying law that enumerates the reasons why students are bullied, and requires that schools report back on how well they're protecting us.
For students who have endured bullying like me, and for the more than�50,000 people�who have signed my�petition on Change.org, it's pretty clear what choice we need them to make.
My name is Katy Butler, and I'm a junior at Greenhills School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I am 16-years-old, and I am a lesbian.
When I was in 7th grade, a few guys came up behind me while putting my books in my locker. They called me a faggot and a dyke and asked me why I even bothered to show my face at school because no one liked me. I ignored them because I was scared of what else they might say and who else they might tell if I stood up to them. When I went to shut my locker, they pushed me against the wall. Then they slammed my locker shut on my hand, breaking my fourth finger. I held back tears while I watched them run away laughing. I didn?t know what to do so I stood there, alone and afraid.
Eventually, I got tired of being afraid, and tired of being told to wait for things to get better. So when the legislature started considering an anti-bullying bill, I traveled with 30 other students to let Lansing know what we need. And when the state senate went ahead and passed a bill that included a dangerous exemption for bullying done for religious or moral reasons -- well, that's when I knew that they weren't interested in what students had to say.
So we launched our�petition on Change.org. And now more than�50,000 people�have joined this�student-led campaign, demanding that Michigan's elected officials pass a strong anti-bullying bill. And I think we're starting to get their attention.
You see, this campaign is about providing a voice for all those students who suffer every day at school. Those students who really need to be heard in Lansing, but haven't been. We're speaking out because as students, we deserve a bill that will actually protect us at school, not make it more dangerous, or give bullies a free pass.
And as students, we know what we need to be protected. But will the Michigan state senate do the right thing, and listen to what students have been saying we need?
Let's not take any chances.�Please sign our petition now.

lesbian comedy lesbian celebrity lesbian actors