Tag: bullying

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Teacher Fired For Reporting Homophobic/Racist Flyers At School

During the last week of March, homophobic and racist flyers began to appear throughout the hallways of McCormick Junior High School in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Even worse, the teacher who reported the flyers was FIRED for bringing attention to them. “It’s great to be straight. It’s not OK to be gay. Black lives matter only because if it weren’t for them who would pick our cotton. Join the kkk.”
(image via Twitter)

During the last week of March, homophobic and racist flyers began to appear throughout the hallways of McCormick Junior High School in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

According to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, the flyers read, “It’s great to be straight. It’s not OK to be gay. Black lives matter only because if it weren’t for them who would pick our cotton.”

“Join the kkk,” concluded the message, which seemed to be signed by “the confederate kid club.”

#hideous

When the flyers were brought to the attention of Kaycee Cook, a substitute teacher and co-sponsor of the school’s gay/straight alliance, she contacted Wyoming Equality. The advocacy group works to protect LGBTQ people in the state.

The executive director for Wyoming Equality, Sara Burlingame, told the press that she had heard about the flyers from several members of the community.

“This is unacceptable,” she said in a statement to Queerty. “It does not reflect the values of Cheyenne. We’re not going tolerate this. And we’re going to show up and support our LGBT youth and our black youth with unwavering pride and support.”

Even the mayor of Cheyenne, Marian Orr, got wind of the flyers and tweeted her support to Cheyenne youth writing, “Tonight, my heart is the heaviest it’s been since taking office. This is not right. To the youth in our community: You are loved. You are valued. We need you to take us forward. You are Cheyenne.”

When the Wyoming Tribune Eagle contacted Principal Jeff Conine about the flyers, he seemed to downplay the issue saying there were only two flyers found and that they were removed before the school day began.

But others, including Kaycee Cook, told the Eagle that the flyers were “all over the school.”

In fact, anti-LGBTQ bullying has been reported for weeks at the school with little done to tamp down the hate.

Some students say they stopped going to the school’s GSA meetings because a group of boys began verbally harassing and bullying the members of the group.

One student who preferred to remain anonymous said the boys openly called themselves racists and homophobes.

There are even reports of teachers calling same-sex students holding hands “disgusting.”

Cook says she’s taken the issue to supervisors for weeks without any results.

Here’s where it really gets messed up, though.

On March 27, Cook received an email from Principal Conine firing her.

(image via Wyoming News)

“I am notifying you that due to incidents that have occurred at McCormick you are no longer welcome as a guest or a substitute teacher in our building,” read the email.

Cook told the press she believes Conine’s actions were in retaliation for contacting Wyoming Equality.

The Laramie County School District 1 issued a statement about the debacle, which read:

“In the midst of an investigation regarding inappropriate flyers that were posted at McCormick Junior High yesterday, (LCSD1) is offering support to our LGBTQ and black students who were reportedly targeted through the incident.”

When contacted by the Eagle, Principal Conine told reporters he wasn’t prepared to make a statement about the email.

Since last week, at least one of the student’s responsible for the hateful flyers has been identified. LCSD1 Superintendent Boyd Brown told Wyoming News that the student would be “disciplined in line with district policy.”

Additionally, it looks like Cook’s dismissal will be reversed and she should be reinstated at the school soon.

What a debacle.

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Study Shows Increase In School Bullying In Trump Country

Researchers have found increased reports of bullying in the 2017 responses in areas where Donald Trump won more votes over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. In the areas where voters favored Trump, middle school children reported bullying rates 18% higher than in areas where Clinton had been favored. Those same students were found to be 9% more likely to report teasing or name-calling based on ethnicity or race.
(photo via Depositphotos)

In the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, teachers reported an increase in bullying and name-calling in classrooms across the country.

A new study in Virginia, published by the American Educational Research Association, now shows data that supports those stories.

Using data from a school climate survey involving over 150,000 students across Virginia, Francis Huang of the University of Missouri and Dewey Cornell of the University of Virginia compared responses from 2015 and 2017.

The researchers found increased reports of bullying in the 2017 responses in areas where Donald Trump won more votes over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.

In the areas where voters favored Trump, middle school children reported bullying rates 18% higher than in areas where Clinton had been favored.

Those same students were found to be 9% more likely to report teasing or name-calling based on ethnicity or race.

Looking back at the 2015 responses, before the presidential election, the data showed “no meaningful difference.”

A psychology professor at the University of Florida, Dorothy Espelage, whose work focuses on school safety and bullying in middle and high schools, wasn’t surprised by the study’s findings.

“Anybody that’s in the schools is picking up on this,” Espelage told NPR. “You don’t have to be a psychologist or a sociologist to understand that if these conversations are happening on the TV and at the dinner table that these kids will take this perspective and they’re going to play out in the schools.”

Last September, non-profit group Youth Truth released a report that showed 33% of students say they had been bullied in the past year. That represented an increase from two years earlier when only one in four students reported being bullied.

That survey included over 160,000 students across 27 states.

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Melania Trump: “I’m The Most Bullied Person In The World”

In a newly released interview excerpt of First Lady Melania Trump speaking to ABC News reporter Tom Llamas (set to air on Friday), she defends her work with her ‘Be Best’ anti-bullying initiative saying she sees herself as a victim of bullying.

Yes, the wife of one of the world’s richest men and president of the United States feels she is one of the most bullied people in the world.

Are you f*cking kidding me???

In the clip, she shares, “I could say I’m the most bullied person in the world. One of them — if you really see what people [are] saying about me.”

It is stunning to read this as the world recognizes National Coming Out Day. A day when so many closeted LGBTQ people of all ages stand up to be their authentic selves even in the face of brutal physical and emotional bullying.

And the First Lady says she’s “the most bullied person in the world?” Who or how is she so powerfully bullied? Folks tweet mean things at her?

Normally I leave the family members of politicians alone, but this is really ridiculous.

I’ve seen bullying in my time. Trust me, a few mean tweets are nothing to being stalked in high school, threatened verbally on a daily basis and physically attacked in front of your classmates.

The citizens of the Twitterverse were none too taken with Ms. Trump’s woe-is-me act.

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Two Teens Get Slap On The Wrist After Choking A Student Into “Apologizing” For Being Gay

Will Mayrick (image via Facebook)

Two teens in the UK, who choked a student during a Tube ride in London until he “apologized” for being gay, have basically walked out of court with a slap on the wrist.

Will Mayrick, 20, says he feared for his life after two attackers grabbed him in a headlock, squeezing the breathe out of him, during an evening out with four of his friends.

The photography student today said the hideous ordeal might never have happened if the teenage perpetrators had undergone LGBT education classes at school.

Mayrick told the press that the Government needs to make LGBT studies a requirement. “It’s clear that there needs to be a better support network in schools,” he told the Evening Standard.

In the end, both attackers (aged 16 and 17) were given 12-month referral orders and each ordered to pay fines of about $27 for “victim surcharge” and $200 for “compensation.”

After the sentencing, Mayrick withheld judgement of his assailants saying, “They were so young, and I can’t help but think that if they had had some sort LGBT education then the attack might never have happened.”

According to a recent study by Stonewall, 55% of secondary school teachers and 42% of primary school teachers say they don’t stand up to homophobic language every time they hear it.

Additionally, 86% of secondary school teachers and 45% of primary school teachers polled said students in their schools had experienced homophobic bullying.

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News Round-Up: March 21, 2018

(via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• Handsome dog, right? The pup’s a cutie, too 😉

• The most anti-LGBTQ Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives barely eked out a win over his primary opponent in Illinois. He now faces (no exaggeration) a Republican whose a devout Neo-Nazi.

• Cell phone video shows a gay teen in Oklahoma getting his head bashed into a school locker by a bully.

• For the first time in decades the National Rifle Associations has a net negative approval rating.

• Included in the undercover recordings of Cambridge Analytica executives was one of the top ranking bosses suggesting spreading gay rumors about candidates was an effective method of bringing them down.

• Political analyst Stu Rothenberg spoke to several insiders who predict the Democrats will win between 30-45 seats in the House during the fall mid-term elections, more than the 24 seats needed to take control.

• In a somber Instagram post, insanely handsome Superman star Henry Cavill shares the news that his facial hair is, sadly, no more. #ShavedButNotForgotten

A post shared by Henry Cavill (@henrycavill) on Mar 21, 2018 at 2:10am PDT

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Burger King PSA: Folks Stand Up For Bullied Burger More Than Bullied High School Junior

Fast food restaurant Burger King created this public service announcement in recognition of National Bullying Prevention Month that seeks to find out why more people will stand up for a bullied Whopper Jr. than a bullied high school junior.

For the spot, the company hired actors to play the bullies and the victim during a busy time in a Burger King restaurant. While the teenager is getting bullied, employees served “bullied” Whopper Jr’s to patrons.

The patrons didn’t hesitate to complain about the burgers, but practically no one addressed the bullying going on right in front of them.

As one kid shares, “It’s just easier to do nothing.”

From Burger King:

Scrawny. Short. Ugly. Fat. Weird. 30% of school kids worldwide are bullied each year and bullying is the #1 act of violence against young people in America today (Source: nobully.org). The BURGER KING® brand is known for putting the crown on everyone’s head and allowing people to have it their way. Bullying is the exact opposite of that. So the BURGER KING® brand is speaking up against bullying during National Bullying Prevention Month.

Visit NoBully.org to learn how you can take a stand against bullying.

And watch below to see how many customers actually step up for the high school junior.

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NYC: High School Student Bullied For Sexual Orientation Turns On Tormentors Killing One, Injuring Second

Abel Cedeno (center)

A Wednesday morning history class in the Bronx turned deadly as 18-year-old Abel Cedeno, who has been reportedly bullied regarding his perceived sexual orientation for weeks, snapped and stabbed two of his tormentors.

From the New York Daily News:

Horrified classmates howled in disbelief as Cedeno flew into a homicidal fury, plunging the serrated stainless steel blade into the chests of Matthew McCree, 15, and Ariane Laboy, 16.

The knife-wielding Cedeno just “went crazy,” said witness Jomarlyn Colon, 16. “Everybody just stood back. A few of them were holding Matthew. A few of them were holding towels on the wound.

“All the kids were crying and screaming.”

McCree, who started the deadly confrontation by flicking a pencil at Cedeno, was pronounced dead at St. Barnabas Hospital after the 10:50 a.m. stabbing spree in a fifth-floor classroom, cops said.

Laboy was in critical condition at the same hospital after he was slashed while coming to McCree’s defense.

Cedeno was charged with murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, attempted manslaughter, assault and criminal possession of a weapon.

This marks the first murder to take place inside a New York City school since 1993.

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News Round-Up: November 30, 2016

Fitness model Nick Sandell

Some news stories you may have missed:

• Who can ever get enough of fitness model Nick Sandell?

• After closing all LGBT charities and legally banning sexual lubricants (because they “promote” homosexuality) earlier this year, the government of Tanzania has now banned all HIV/AIDS outreach programs.

• After years of physical and verbal bullying, 13 year old Tyrone Unsworth of Australia committed suicide last week. “Faggot,” “fairy,” and “gay boy” were daily taunts Tyrone heard at school until he took his own life.

• Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Rep. Tom Price, opposes same-sex marriage, opposes protections for transgender folks, says LGBT rights cost too much and wants to completely cut off all federal funds for Planned Parenthood. Sounds like a great guy, huh?

• Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham is prepping legislation to extend legal protections for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. This is in anticipation of Donald Trump revoking the executive orders by President Obama which has protected over 700K young people to avoid deportation.

• More from calendar season! Today, we’ve got out singer/songwriter Tom Goss offering up his “beefcake” calendar. Head over to his official website to order.

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A Lesson On How To Defend Yourself From A Hate Crime

My friend Patrick Boyd’s Facebook post has gone viral after he successfully stood up for himself against a bully in front of his own NYC apartment building.

What did I learn today? Something I’ve actually known for awhile but will share since it was necessary to put it in to action today.

The lesson? Mace. Mace is a brilliant self-defense tool as it doesn’t even have to be utilized for it to be effective and yield the desired results. The very idea of mace sprayed in one’s face is its own psychological weapon.

Case in point, today. Right outside of my building a man in his late 20’s called me a “faggot” out of the blue. After attempting to ignore him and enter my building he shouted “I’m gonna kick your ass” and other expletives as he walked across the street.

That was my “oh, hell no” moment. I parked my scooter, turned around, reached in my coat pocket, and challenged him by saying, “If you’re going to do something, do it. Whatever you think you’re going to do, bring it.” The angry man begins to walk across the street, accepting my proposition.

As he gets close to me I raise my bottle of magic juice and point it in the direction of his face. He stops dead in his tracks. I say, “oh…something the matter? I though I was about to get my ass kicked?” A small crowed has now gathered. “You gonna to spray me,” he shouted. I respond, “Yes, I’m gonna burn your eyeballs right out of your F’ing head.” A moment of silence follows. I continue, “still waiting for that ass kicking.”

I end the confrontation by saying, “oh, so since you see I can DEFEND myself, no ass kicking. Ahhh…not so tough now are ya?” Light applause from the crowd as he walks away mumbling and grunting to save face.

No violence, no guns, no punches thrown, and no eyeballs burned out of someone’s head. Just an @sshole finding out he’s not as tough as he thinks he is. All thanks to a little can of mace that fits in your pocket that I didn’t even have to use. (And yes, it’s legal)

Stick up for yourself brothers and sisters. Trump has unleashed a Pandora’s box of unbridled hate, racism, homophobia, sexism, and xenophobia. I for one am going to fight. And now is REALLY not a good time to f#ck with me.

I should mention that along with being way talented, Patrick is also built as solid as a wall.

You’d be an idiot to threaten him.

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Campaign Ad: “Bully”

A new campaign ad from the Hillary Clinton campaign juxtaposes Republican Donald Trump with iconic movie bullies sending a message that Americans shouldn’t let Trump bully his way into the White House.

Opening with a textbook definition of a bully — “A blustering, overbearing person who puts down or intimidates others” — the clip overlaps the taunts from bullies from well-known movies with jeering comments Trump has made on the campaign stump.

The spot then focuses on a moment from a town hall earlier this year where Clinton was asked by a 10 year old girl, “What are you going to do about bullying?”

Clinton asked the young girl, “Can you tell me a little bit more about why that’s on your mind?”

“I have asthma and occasionally I hear people talking behind my back,” said the fifth-grader.

Clinton responds to the little girl saying, “I really do think we need more love and kindness in this country. That’s why it’s important to stand up to bullies wherever they are and why we shouldn’t let anybody bully his way into the presidency because that is not who we are as Americans.”

It’s funny how people see what they want to see in the world. Trump supporters see a “leader” while I see a man who would embarrass the United States with his dark and overbearing angry tone.

Others say Clinton has led a negative campaign while this is the message I see from her.