The White House Is Fighting LGBT Bullying In Schools. And Now Rep. Polis Is Doing the Same in Congress?

When we first heard Rep. Jared Polis was going to introduce legislation to protect school kids from bullying based on actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity, we were all, Hooray! And while we’re still all Hooray!, we’re also: How curious that he’s putting forth a bill that would secure the Department of Justice’s just-announced argument that Title IX can be used to fight school bullying.

The Obama administration’s lawyers are working their way into a case to back a teenage high school student’s charges that he was bullied at school for being gay, and school administrators did nothing to stop it. DoJ’s main argument? That Title IX outlaws discrimination based on gender and gender stereotyping.

Now here comes Polis’ H.R. 4530, based on 1972′s Title IX law, that “would provide remedies for actual or perceived discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in both elementary and secondary schools,” reports D.C. Agenda. Polis says he has 60 sponsors at the ready, which sounds promising.

It’s also the clearest example yet that the White House and Congress are working in tandem on at least one LGBT equality effort.