Many states have identified LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered) students as a specifically protected group in K-12 anti-bullying education codes and state legislation.  These policies, although designed to decrease negative outcomes for LGBT students, may reinforce distinctions between heterosexual and LGBT students on the state policy level. Our study offers an empirical test of the effects of identifying LGBT students as a protected group in anti-bullying legislation and anti-bullying education codes.  Using data from the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), we find that LGBT students are more likely to report victimization of bullying, feeling unsafe at school, being threatened by a weapon and having suicidal ideation compared to students identifying as heterosexual; this suggests a need for policy protections against victimization.  However, since state policymakers may be more likely to identify LGBT students as a protected group if these students are highly victimized in the jurisdiction, state bullying policies may be endogenously determined.  We correct this potential policy endogeneity using a two-stage residual inclusion model.  After correcting for endogeneity, our findings suggest that LGBT students in states with LGBT specific bullying education codes are less likely to be victims of bullying and less likely to feel unsafe at school compared to LGBT students in states without LGBT specific bullying education codes.  We find no significant effect for LGBT bullying protections codified through legislation on the general student population.  General bullying legislation and education codes have no effect on individual instances of bullying or negative outcomes that may result from bullying such as feeling unsafe at school, depression or suicidal ideation.  Weapon threats among all students are significantly less in states with general bullying education codes.  These findings suggest that LGBT-specific bullying policies codified in education codes are more effective than those policies codified through standard legislation.  Implications to other K-12 and other LGBT policies are discussed.