CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Fairness West Virginia, a statewide advocacy group that promotes civil rights and fair treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender residents, has launched a new campaign with the goal of creating effective anti-bullying policies in West Virginia.

Too often across the state, anti-bullying policies are generic and don't do enough to protect children and teenagers on the basis of sexual orientation, said Fairness WV Program Director Bradley Milam.

Fairness WV has partnered with the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia for the campaign, dubbed "West Virginia Bully-Free."

Milam cited findings from the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network's 2009 National School Climate Survey.

The survey of more than 7,260 middle school and high school students found that nearly nine in 10 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students had experienced harassment at school within the previous year, and about two-thirds felt unsafe because of their sexual orientation.

However, students who attend schools with an anti-bullying policy that includes sexual orientation and gender identity protections heard fewer homophobic remarks. They also were victimized less often and reported that school employees were more likely to intervene during incidents of harassment.

"It is a campaign that will show the public as well as policymakers that we need to have a much more effective policy here," Milam said.

The Fairness website features videos and written stories of young West Virginians who experienced bullying, isolation and intimidation when they were growing up in school. Two former students from St. Albans, identified only as "Matthew" and "Michael," tell their stories.

Matthew, a 22-year-old gay man, said bullies really started to harass him once he started middle school.

"Bullies made my life hell. I was name called, pushed, shoved, spit on, and threatened," he wrote. "I denied who I was on a daily basis. I did poorly in my classes and became very depressed. I was constantly looking for an escape that would never come."

By sharing stories, the Fairness and ACLU officials hope to show policymakers that current anti-bullying policies don't go nearly far enough, and that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students especially are constant targets of harassment.

"We're hoping to further develop the website and the campaign in the coming months," Milam said. "Eventually, in time, we're going to have a few more videos."

On the website, Milam shares his own story of growing up and going to school in Raleigh County.

Even though West Virginia Bully-Free is a statewide campaign, Milam said, "we're also focusing on local policies as well."

In April 2009, Clayton Stover, a senior at St. Albans High School, asked Kanawha school board members to consider sexual orientation as part of the county's cultural diversity policy. Stover wanted gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students to be free of verbal and physical harassment in school.

But in July 2009, school board members removed the words "sexual orientation" from a proposed revision to the diversity policy.

Fairness WV had lobbied to include the words in the policy changes, while officials with the West Virginia Family Foundation and the Family Policy Council of West Virginia had argued against it.

Reach Davin White at davinwh...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1254.