The linked article is from Think Progress, and the topic could not be more timely in light of the recent suicide of 14-year-old Kenneth Weishuhn Jr.(emphasis below is mine)

During an April 12th debate, Heather Wilson, a Republican running for U.S. Senate in New Mexico, joined the so-called pro-bullying chorus when she staked out her opposition to SB 555, the Student Non-Discrimination Act. The measure, introduced by Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), would provide LGBT students with similar civil rights protections against bullying “as those that currently apply to students based on race and gender.” Wilson argued that the bill would violate students’ free speech rights and criminalize “teasing.”

The Pro-bullying chorus is actually the anti-gay chorus. A few years ago, I had a congressional aide from Washington DC tell me that he had been told directly by a GOP aide that the efforts to “protect the right to bully” was a thought out and orchestrated plan to fight growing acceptance of gay people. I personally don’t think that to call it terrorism is too strong. And the victims- both those who live in fear as well as those who grow up believing that a climate of fear is an acceptable way to treat others- are our youth. These are our future generations, at least those who live that long.

The Iowa newspaper, Sioux City Journal, sees this as a large enough problem, that it devoted the entire front page of their Sunday paper to an editorial. This is an extreme act and demonstrates the grave nature of the issue. Such a severely different understanding than Wilson’s labeling the behavior as “teasing.”

Why is it that some wish to call a dialogue of violence protected speech?

via GOP Senate Candidate Joins Pro-Bully Caucus, Compares Anti-Gay Bullying To ‘Teasing’ | ThinkProgress.