A 16-year-old boy who goes to a shopping mall and beats up an old woman—or kicks her down a flight of stairs—will get arrested and charged with assault. A 16-year-old boy goes to school and beats up a 13-year-old boy—or kicks him down a flight of stairs—doesn't even get suspended.

We need anti-bullying programs. We need GSAs. We need the Trevor Project. We need—if I may say so myself—the It Gets Better Project. But you know what would really help change things right now? A few high-profile, widely-publicized prosecutions. Not for bullying. For assault.

I don't see any difference between the Catholic bishops who didn't report pedophile priests to the authorities and school administrators who don't report bullies who physically assault LGBT students to the authorities. Slamming someone into locker, or kicking him down stairs, or punching him in the face isn't "bullying." It's a crime—and it should be prosecuted like one.

And school administrators who don't report these crimes to the authorities should be prosecuted.