Cute, touching, heartbreaking and well done.
CNN: Tyler Clementi’s brother gives his first television interview
James Clementi, the gay brother of Tyler Clementi, who took his life in 2010 by jumping from the George Washington Bridge after his Rutgers roommate Dharun Ravi broadcast an intimate moment he was having online, gives his first television interview.
CNN’s Roland Martin tries to end his “twitter-gate” issue
CNN contributor Roland S. Martin was accused of bullying and encouraging violence against the LGBT community after tweeting on Sunday that any man at a Super Bowl party who’s psyched for David Beckham’s H&M underwear ad should be smacked, posted his final thoughts on the controversy to his website last night.
“That is furthest from the truth, and I sincerely regret any offense my words have caused,” he wrote. “I have consistently said on television, radio, and in print, that I am steadfast against bullying.”
He maintained that his tweets were directed at soccer fans and not related to anyone’s sexuality. “To those who construed my comment as being anti-gay or homophobic or advancing violence, I’m truly sorry. I can certainly understand how someone could come to a different conclusion than the one I meant,” he said. “I’m disheartened that my words would embolden prejudice. While public debate over social issues is healthy, no matter which side someone takes, there is no room for debate as to whether we need to be respectful of others.”
GLAAD issued this response: “Yesterday afternoon a video of a young man being brutally assaulted after exiting a grocery store was posted on LGBT news sites. As they beat and kicked the man, his attackers screamed “Fa**ot” and other anti-gay slurs. Watch the video below. This is what ‘smacking the ish’ out of someone for being gay can look like. Speaking out against anti-LGBT violence on his site is a start, but Martin should use his other platforms to fight against the very things he says he himself experienced.”
Joe Manganiello for the “It Gets Better” campaign
My man Joe Manganiello sends this message for those kids who are experiencing bullying – from the It Gets Better Project. Continue reading “Joe Manganiello for the “It Gets Better” campaign”
What’s goin on…
Moving video by a bullied teen.
It was uploaded in August and I hope someone connected with him. It’s the only video this particular account uploaded.
Don’t bully; think about the words you use; if you see bullying in any form, stop it – or find someone who can.
If you are being bullied, talk to someone. One place is The Trevor Lifeline at 866-488-7386. There’s always someone there to talk to.
UPDATE: Jonah Mowry, the young guy in the video, posted a ‘thank you’ yesterday to viewers for their support.
Attack on gay teen results in 90 day sentence
According to the Columbus Dispatch, a 15-year-old Ross County boy will serve 90 days in a juvenile detention center for the assault of a gay student that gained national attention after a cell phone video of the attack went viral on the Internet.
Levi Sever, 15, was sentenced yesterday after previously pleading guilty to a delinquency count of assault before Juvenile Court Judge Richard Ward. Sever was also ordered to undergo mental health counseling during his detention.
Sever has not attended school since the attack, but school officials have declined to discuss the discipline he received.
Zach Huston, 15, was assaulted on Oct. 17 in a classroom at Unioto High School, with the youth and his mother both saying he was targeted because he is gay. Huston and his mother both have stated school officials did not respond appropriately to their reports about bullying due to his sexual orientation.
Jamey Rodemeyer’s bullies will not be charged after his suicide
Police closed the Jamey Rodemeyer case today without prosecuting any of his bullies, saying they lacked proof he’d been harassed.
Rodemeyer killed himself in September after facing bullying that he “could never escape,” he said in posts on the Internet. But Amherst Police Chief John Askey said that despite the 14-year-old’s complaints online about bullying, there wasn’t enough evidence of what happened, and it couldn’t be pinned to any single student.
“In most cases, you need a victim and a complaint,” Askey told the Buffalo News, noting that he isn’t satisfied with the outcome.
After their son’s death, Rodemeyer’s parents shared a story on the Today show of how their daughter had gone to a school dance to take her mind off the death of her brother only to be met with taunts of “better off dead.” The superintendent identified the student responsible for the chants and issued a suspension, taking the punishment “to the fullest extent allowed under education law.”
That appears to be where the punishment will stop in the Rodemeyer case. The superintendent said he planned more education about the effects of bullying.
More at the Advocate.com
Gay student in Ohio beating caught on tape
A gay student at Union-Scioto High School in Chillicothe, Ohio was brutally beaten this week by another student for being gay. Class members watched as the bully waited for the student to arrive in the classroom, grabbed him, pushed him to the ground and punched him in the face several times.
The bully was suspended for 3 days. That’s it. The mother of the victim is pursuing criminal charges.
The bully had harassed the gay student (who has not been identified) on Facebook a few days earlier, writing “You fag. Check out the definition of a fag.”
Equality Ohio Executive Director, Ed Mullen, explains that the incident serves as a reminder that Ohio’s anti-bullying law must be strengthened and specific protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth be included. Mullen says: “All students, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, have the right to a safe school and education. Students should not fear verbal harassment, cyber-bullying, or physical assault in our public schools.”
HRC Public Service Announcement by kids who were bullied
Human Rights Campaign’s new PSA by kids telling their own stories about being bullied.
Watch it and pass it on.
Or better yet, start a conversation with people about it, so we can stop it.
Colorado House approves anti-bullying bill
The Colorado House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a bill that would reduce incidents of bullying in Colorado public schools.
If passed by the full legislature, the bill — HB-1254 — would clearly define bullying, create a state grant program to which schools can apply in order to fund bullying prevention programs, and require each school district to adopt a comprehensive, evidence-based anti-bullying policy.
The measure, which is co-sponsored by Representatives Sue Schafer and Kevin Priola, would overhaul current state anti-bullying guidelines for schools which would include sexual orientation and establish a state government organization to raise money for anti-bullying programs.
The measure requires that the state’s school districts implement programs to train teachers and create databases about bullying incidents in schools.