Category Archives: Youth
Honey Boo Boo’s Gay Poodle – Uncle Lee
In the “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” season finale we were introduced to Honey Boo Boo’s “Uncle Poodle”
Uncle Poodle is Sugar Bear’s younger brother, Lee Thompson, who
happens to be gay. But, Uncle Poodle’s sexuality isn’t an issue because
“Ain’t nothing wrong with being a little gay! Everybody is a little
gay,” Honey Boo Boo shared.
In an interview with the Georgia Voice
last week, Thompson, 29, first explains the origins of “Uncle Poodle,”
telling the paper it all started with Boo Boo’s pageant coach.
“We were at practice one day, getting ready for a pageant. Her coach
was talking about her gay friends, and she said, ‘I love all my
poodles.’ Alana thought she was really talking about dogs. She wanted to
know how many poodles she had, and what were their names,” Thompson
said in his sit-down with Topher Payne. “And I said, ‘No, Alana, she’s
talking about gay people.’ Well, that did it. All gay people are poodles
to her now, and I’m her number one poodle.” Boo Boo would then use the
p-word to describe Anderson Cooper, who was at that point about a month
away from officially coming out.
Thompson later discussed how he
and long-time boyfriend Josh married in August, surrounded by friends
and family, something many may assume would cause a stir in the deep
south. It didn’t. Not in Midgeville, at least, and Thompson says all the
acceptance he has experienced comes from the fact that he accepts
himself.
“I’m gay, but I’m as redneck as I can get,” he says. “f
you want people to accept you, you have to show you don’t have a
problem with yourself and just be up front about who you are. If you do,
you earn people’s respect. If everybody would just go on and do that,
ignorant people couldn’t cause so many problems. I know this is how I
was born and I don’t need to explain it to anybody. I live my life for
who I am. That’s why ‘Born This Way’ is gonna be my next tattoo.”
If
anyone has a problem with him or the other few dozen LGBT people in the
area, he doesn’t know about it: “If there’s people who have a problem
with [homosexuality], they keep it to themselves, just like if I have a
problem with them, I keep it to myself.”
Will Obama and Romney Wear Purple Oct. 19th?
Spirit Day: Go Purple on October 19 for #SpiritDay
Join Spirit Day Ambassador Katy Butler and tell the Presidential
candidates to join millions by wearing purple on #SpiritDay to stand
against bullying and support LGBT youth!
Last year on Spirit Day I was so excited to see Ellen DeGeneres and
Oprah Winfrey wear purple on TV, see photos of Times Square lights in
purple and feel supported by my friends on Facebook who changed their
profile pictures to purple, and of course the students at my school who
wore purple in support.
Last year millions of people told LGBT kids they are not alone – just
by wearing purple. And who better to send that message than the two
candidates trying to be the leader of our country?
From Katy’s new Change.org petition:
If both of these influential men participate by simply wearing purple it
will show LGBT teens like me that there are powerful people who care
about us. I know what it’s like to feel alone, and seeing two of our
country’s political leaders show that they care about our lives could
make a huge difference to. LGBT students, who are 3-5 times more likely
to experience depression and attempt suicide than their counter parts.
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney could take a big step towards ending that
feeling of isolation.
Scandal in the Boy Scouts – Years of Child Molestation Revealed this Week
THE GAYS DIDN’T’ DO IT!
Thank goodness the Boy Scouts keep the gays out of their group. Because now they can’t blame us, for this!
Sept 16 (Reuters) – The Boy Scouts of America could face a wave of bad
publicity as decades of records of confirmed or alleged child molesters
within the U.S. organization are expected to be released in coming
weeks.
On Sunday, the Los Angeles Times reported
the organization failed to report allegations of sex abuse of scouts by
adult leaders and volunteers to police in hundreds of cases from 1970
to 1991. In some cases, the Boy Scouts helped the accused “cover their
tracks,” the paper said.
In the wake of revelations about systemic child sex abuse within the
Catholic Church and the recent Penn State sex abuse scandal, the files
threaten to damage the reputation of one of America’s most trusted
institutions.
The organization is facing more than 50 pending child sexual abuse
cases in 18 states, according to Kelly Clark, another plaintiff
attorney in the Oregon case.
READ MORE at REUTERS
Happy Mothers Day Jennifer Tyrrell
Happy Mother’s Day –
Unless You’re Gay
Mother’s Day has always been a special day for me — a time to
celebrate my mother, grandmothers, but most importantly, my children.
But this Mother’s Day, I won’t be celebrating as usual.
You probably heard that last month, the Boy Scouts of America told me
that I was no longer welcome to serve as scout leader of my 7-year-old
son’s Boy Scouts troop because I’m gay.
Like any mother, my heart was left broken.
So far, over 275,000 people have joined me at Change.org/scouts to tell the BSA that it’s time to end their long history of discrimination against gay scouts and LGBT leaders.
Will
you join me, as well as celebrities including Julianne Moore and Josh
Hutcherson, this Mother’s Day to help tell the Scouts that they should
accept all moms by sharing my story on Facebook and Twitter?
Or, if you haven’t already, sign my petition at Change.org/scouts and join over 275,000 Americans demanding equality from one of our nation’s largest cultural institutions.
Though I won’t be spending Mother’s Day with my troop this year, with your help I can send a message to the Scouts in support of all loving moms.
Wishing you and your family a very happy Mother’s Day.
Jennifer Tyrrell
Bridgeport, OH
Former Scout Leader, Cub Scouts, Pack 109
No Gays or Tomboys Allowed – in Saudi Arabia Schools
Is it just me? or does anyone else feel like the whole world is escalating in chaos, rage, hate and social tensions??
The Mayan Prophecy 2012 says this current grand cycle of evolution will culminate winter solstice, December 21, 2012 AD. Some people call this the end of the world! Hopefully, it is the end of this chaos and hate. It is said, that this time we are now in has been called The Time of Trial on Earth, and As
Solstice 2012 marks a Shift into a New World Age Cycle, an essential
part of this transformation process is for humanity to re-connect
with Nature’s wisdom that we may find balance, harmony and life-affirming
paths for the evolution of human culture.
Let’s hope so.
Now can someone tell me how
to spot a gay or tomboy?
Saudi Arabia has decided to bar “gays and tom-boys”, and anyone wearing “emo clothing” from its government
schools and universities within a crackdown against the spread of this
phenomenon in the conservative Moslem Gulf Kingdom, a newspaper said on
Monday.
The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, the most feared law enforcement authority in the oil-rich country, has been asked to enforce the new orders, Sharq Arabic language daily said.
“Instructions have been issued to all public schools and universities to ban the entry of gays and tom boys and to intensify their efforts to fight this phenomenon, which has been promoted by some websites,” it said.
We told you last month how gays and emo looking teens were being brutally murdered in Iraq. This backlash to gays is happening all over the world.
When will it stop??
The new orders in Saudi Arabia said gay and tom boy students can go back to schools and universities if they prove they have been corrected and have stopped such practices.
It said high-level orders have been issued to the Commission to immediately enforce the new rules and to step up efforts to combat this phenomenon and other “unacceptable behavior” in public places.
What’s next? Pink Triangles??
Anti Gay Bullying Claims A Life in Iowa
A 14-year old gay teen died by suicide Saturday in Primghar, Iowa, after coming out as gay and being bullied for months, according to a report.
There are no other news reports yet, but there is a Facebook group created in his memory.
One entry notes, “Its sad to see how people cannot just see past a
persons identity and just see them as a human,” while another reads,
“You took his happiness away from him..,” and another, “No one deserves
to be bullied! My sympathies to the family and friends of Kenneth! And
to the kids that bullied him hope you sleep okay knowing that you drove a
young man to an early fate, you should be ashamed of yourself!”
A Facebook page
which appears to be that of the same Kenneth James Weishuhn lists his
nickname as Rodney. The last entry was March 30.
When will this madness stop??
A tribute video was published to YouTube yesterday. Get a tissue. You will need it.
Taking IT GETS BETTER on the road with a Theater Project
Critics of the “It Gets Better” message say action is needed behind
those words, and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles has an idea on how.
The chorus is raising money to take the message of hope from the
Internet and deliver it in person to schools nationwide with “It Gets
Better,” the musical.
Six cast members will use a mix of original songs
and ones the students have heard from the radio to drive home the point.
The performance will cap a week of outreach in the community where the
chorus finds people who have posted It Gets Better videos and asks them
to share in person with local leaders and school officials what they
said online.
WHAT A GREAT IDEA!!
“We will talk to videos, we will respond to videos, we will talk to
people who made videos and find out how their lives are different as a
result of it,” says Liesel Reinhart of Speak Theater Arts, which is a
partner in the effort, in a fundraising video posted on Kickstarter.
So far backers have pledged more than $25,000, and the chorus has
less than three weeks to raise the $75,000 it needs to put on the
combination of activism and stage shows in school communities all over
the country.
This is an idea worth funding!!
Read more at SHE WIRED
Donate on Kickstarter
A Teen Speaks Up about “I’m Christian, Unless You’re Gay”
Is he just cute as a button, or what?!
You have probably seen this already – but I wanted to give it air time – in case anyone missed it.
Single Dad Laughing did a post called “I’m Christian, Unless You’re Gay” back in November. That post generated over 10,000 comments! More than 6 million people have read it!
This month Single Dad Laughing received a powerful letter from a mother who is Christian. And her son was given the original article in school, and asked to write an essay about what it meant to them.
Well the mother went nuts!
But it’s a great story about how the boy responds. It’s 3 pages – but a great read. The new post has already gotten 2300+ comments. But the blogs server was so jammed, it took a while to read the pages.
But check it out! What a cool brave kid!
its time to stop letting people’s hate
stop me from being happy!
It’s not about what other people do. It’s about whether or not we are loving them. Nothing else matters at all.
Jackie Evancho TO BELIEVE
I just discovered JACKIE EVANCHO today. WOW – If you Susan Boyle gave you goose bumps – this little girl will blow your socks off!
Have you heard her? Jacqueline Marie “Jackie” Evancho is an American child singer described as a classical crossover artist. After entering some talent competitions, issuing an independent album, and then attracting interest on YOUTUBE, she gained wider popularity in 2010 with her performances on America’s Got Talent (AGT) competition, at the age of 10, finishing in second place. – I never watched the show – guess that’s how she slipped under my radar.
Like Hayley Westenra, Charlotte Church, and Sarah Brightman, soprano Jackie Evancho operates in the classical crossover realm.
Check out her YouTube channel
New LGBTQ Youth Social Network JUST LEFT THE CLOSET
JUSTLEFTTHECLOSET.COM is a new social network for LGBT youth and their
friends. A place where members can meet, chat, offer support and tell their
stories whilst only revealing their true identities if they want to. Whether they’re still
in, shyly emerging or proudly out, this can be a starting point for their journey. A
‘room’ they can enter where everyone else is just like them. And it looks pretty
cool too…
Who They Are
Jeremy, 22 (Little MonsterTM) and Tomo, 40 (dad of two): Both based in New York
but from Oregon and England respectively. Jeremy had to deal with his own
coming out only a few years ago and knows what a valuable resource
justleftthecloset would have been during that time. Tomo has spent his career in
the fashion industry working variously as a magazine editor, producer and
photographer. With more and more reports of gay bullying emerging in the
news, Jeremy and Tomo both feel very strongly about wanting to help. They
believe that a safe, fun online community – where kids can feel they have a
unified voice and a position of strength – is needed now more than ever.
The Audience
“We want to create an even playing field for all LGBT kids aged 13 and up,
whether they live in the heart of the city or twenty miles from their nearest
neighbor. They all need friends and they all want to have fun. There are
thousands of others out there just like them, and justleftthecloset will connect
them in an entirely new way. It will enable them to easily interact with each other
from the safety and anonymity of their computers, at their own pace and with
no outside pressure”
“It may sound high-falutin’ but if we can make one person’s life easier, we will
consider justleftthecloset a success. Beyond that, we really believe that if we can
get our message heard by enough people it could be the start of something
bigger, where members can take control of their own lives and start to have a
proud, collective voice of their own.”
It Gets Better Videos Do In Fact WORK
A lot of people have questioned if in fact the IT GET’S BETTER videos really work. If they really do anything to help youths….Dylan, a young teen, said YES – the videos HELPED HIM!
Check it out at BOX TURTLE.
I’m From Driftwood….The Book!
ACCLAIMED I’M FROM DRIFTWOOD WEBSITE RELEASES NEW COMPANION ANTHOLOGY BOOK SHOWCASING TRUE LGBT STORIES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD.
The acclaimed website “I’m From Driftwood ” which shares true, first-person LGBT stories from around the world, has just published a companion anthology. The new book, also titled I’m from Driftwood, has compiled some of the most moving stories from the website. The book was edited by Nathan Manske, who launched the web site in March, 2009.
The I’m from Driftwood anthology is available exclusively online through the web site . Book price $15.
“I originally started the I’m from Driftwood web site to demonstrate the wide variety of LGBT people living in America and across the world, especially in small towns,” said Nathan Manske, a native of a small town called Driftwood, Texas. “These honest looks into the lives of LGBT people not only give people a chance to celebrate their lives, but they also inspire others. Since the website began, I’ve received amazing letters from queer youth, telling me how I’m From Driftwood has made people feel a little less alone and a whole lot stronger. I hope this anthology also empowers queer youth and LGBT adults everywhere with the knowledge that they are not alone.”
To promote the 166-page book, Manske and two friends began a 4-month Story Tour this past year, collecting stories and holding readings in every state across America. On January 10, the I’m From Driftwood crew finished visiting all 50 states.
ImFromDriftwood.com offers an astounding variety of true stories and video accounts of LGBT lives, written with candor, humor, tears and bravery. They range from one man’s closeted life in Indiana in the 1950s to another man’s membership in an underground gay-straight alliance in present-day Indonesia. The web site allows everyone to post their personal stories to inform, educate and encourage others.
So what’s next for Nathan and the site? ” So much is coming up!” Nathan told me. ” We still have over 160 Video Stories to edit and post, and I want to still collect a lot more written stories, more Video Stories down the road, as well as get into podcasts, radio, graphic ‘zines, TV, film, etc. We’re becoming a non-profit so are really wanting to make this a long-term project.”
Go buy the book and support this awesome project!
The I’m from Driftwood anthology is available exclusively online through the web site .
Book price $15.
Best Gay News Magazine
HARVARD Says Urine on Gay Books Was an Accident
The texts apparently had urine poured over them and police are investigating the incident as a hate crime.
According to student newspaper The Harvard Crimson, an empty bottle was found next to the ruined books in Lamont Library.
The vandalism happened on November 24th and library staff apparently delayed reporting the incident because they wanted to assess the value of the books, which was estimated at several thousand dollars.
All had to be thrown away.
OOOPS!
NOW Harvard College library says it was not a hate crime after all, but a simple accident caused by a staffer who spilled a bottle of liquid waste on 36 tomes.
Why a bottle of urine was sitting on a library shelf in the first place has yet to be explained.
“This incident was initially reported as vandalism and characterized as a hate crime,” Evelynn Hammonds, dean of Harvard College, wrote Monday on the university’s website. “We have learned this morning that the books, while indeed damaged, were damaged by our own library personnel accidentally spilling a bottle of what was reported to be urine that had been left on the shelf.”
WTF?
First, how big was this bottle that it spilled and soaked some 30 books?
WHY was the bottle in the library, in the gay section?
AND HOW do you just “accidentally” knock it over and spill it? There was no lid??
Best Gay News
Young Texas Teen Josh Wilkerson Murdered
“Authorities now say that Joshua Wilkerson, 18 (above left), was beaten with a large wooden rod and that his body was burned. Hermilio Moralez, 19 (right), is charged with murder in Wilkerson’s death. According to court documents, Wilkerson gave Moralez a ride home from school Tuesday and Moralez stated that Wilkerson began to make sexual advances towards him. Moralez said they got out of the truck and began to fight when Wilkerson grabbed a large wooden rod and tried to hit him. Moralez said he took the piece of wood from Wilkerson and began to hit him with it. He said Wilkerson was not moving afterwards.”
Moralez also apparently tried to take a police officer’s gun from its holster while he was leading authorities to the body. He has been “charged with failure to identify and attempting to take a weapon from a peace officer. His bond on those two charges are $2,000 and $30,000, respectively. No bond has been set for the murder charge.”
The court documents state that Moralez told police he drove Wilkerson to a field along FM 521 near 518 and burned the body. Morales said he then drove Wilkerson’s pickup truck to the parking lot of a nearby strip center and threw Wilkerson’s shoes and backpack into a dumpster there.
HOW DISGUSTING IS THAT?
It’s like Matthew Shepard all over again!
So What, if My Son is GAY! Leave Him Alone! Mom Sticks Up for 5 Year Old Son
So this Cops wife
has a blog! NERDY APPLE BOTTOM !
And her 5 year old son wanted to dress as Daphne, from Scooby-Doo!
The big day arrives. We get dressed up. We drop Squirt at his preschool and head over to his. Boo doesn’t want to get out of the car. He’s afraid of what people will say and do to him. I convince him to go inside. He halts at the door. He’s visibly nervous. I chalk it up to him being a bit of a worrier in general. Seriously, WHO WOULD MAKE FUN OF A CHILD IN A COSTUME ON HALLOWEEN? So he walks in. And there were several friends of mine that knew what he was wearing that smiled and waved and gave him high-fives. We walk down the hall to where his classroom is.
And that’s where things went wrong. Two mothers went wide-eyed and made faces as if they smelled decomp. And I realize that my son is seeing the same thing I am. So I say, “Doesn’t he look great?”
Mom A says in disgust, “Did he ask to be that?!” I say that he sure did as Halloween is the time of year that you can be whatever it is that you want to be. They continue with their nosy, probing questions as to how that was an option and didn’t I try to talk him out of it. Mom B mostly just stood there in shock and dismay.
She goes on to tell the moms..”But here’s the point, it is none of your damn business!
If you think that me allowing my son to be a female character for Halloween is somehow going to ‘make’ him gay then you are an idiot. Firstly, what a ridiculous concept. Secondly, if my son is gay, OK. I will love him no less. Thirdly, I am not worried that your son will grow up to be an actual ninja so back off!”
KUDOS TO YOU MOM for sticking up for him! gay or not!
Stop by her posting and leave her a nice comment!
Fire CLINT McCANCE For His Horrible Views on Gay Teen Suicide!!
A Facebook page asking an Arkansas school district to fire an official has reached 19,000+ supporters!
Clint McCance, a school board member in Independence County, Arkansas, is under fire this week for a horrifically anti-gay Facebook statement he posted regarding last week’s Spirit Day, reading,
“Seriously they want me to wear purple because five queers committed suicide. The only way im wearin it for them is if they all commit suicide.”
He also said he “enjoys the fact that gay people often give each other aids and die,” and he declared that he would disown his children if they were gay.
I cant believe the people of this world have gotten this stupid. We are honoring the fact that they sinned and killed therselves because of their sin. REALLY PEOPLE.” [sic, and from an education professional, keep in mind!]
In response to the dangerous homophobia the education board member spewed, the Arkansas Department of Education says it does not have the authority to fire McCance.
It writes in a statement posted to its website :
The Arkansas Department of Education strongly condemns remarks or attitudes of this kind and is dismayed to see that a school board official would post something of this insensitive nature on a public forum like Facebook. Because Mr. McCance is an elected official, the department has no means of dealing with him directly. However, the department does have staff who investigate matters of bullying in schools and we will monitor and quickly respond to any bullying of students that may occur because of this, as we have with other civil rights issues in the past.
Still, the Facebook group calling for McCance’s bigoted head continues to grow! PLEASE JOIN!!
Best Gay News
*****10-29-2010 BREAKING NEWS!
Arkansas school board member Clint McCance, who unleashed a shocking anti-gay tirade on Facebook in response to last week’s Spirit Day, has announced he will resign.
Appearing on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, McCance apologized for his screed that said he would disown his children if they were gay and encouraged LGBT youth suicide. – He has NOT resigned yet – but says he will. We’ll see!
Project Life Vest – A Helping Hand for LGBT Teens…Thanks to Derrick Martin!
This month in the INSTINCT
they profiled LEADING MEN –
The Faces of Equality.
Among them was young DERRICK MARTIN. You may remember his name from the prom controversy that occurred earlier this year…
After asking Bleckley County school officials permission in January to take another boy to the prom, Derrick Martin finally got his high school to allow it. After a long legal battle. “I didn’t expect them to say yes. It’s who I am. I have the same rights,” he said. “It’s my senior prom and I wanted to be able to prove not everyone would cancel prom.” Martin was an honor student who tutored at-risk elementary and middle school students after school. He also had a full scholarship to college.
He said he knew the move would be controversial for the town of about 5,200 residents. At his high school, prom dates from outside counties must be approved in advance, so Martin went to his principal and asked. “At first she said no, Cochran wasn’t ready for it,” he said. But then eventually, school officials said they have no policy in place against it.”
“When I first decided to go to prom with my boyfriend, I had no idea concerning the turmoil that would engulf in my life.” His family DID NOT like the spotlight shining on them. And they kicked him out of the house! After that he received death threats!
“One day I was living with my parents; the next I had no home. I found myself without much in terms of material possessions and comfort. I had a car; a low paying job with the school; and a few trash bags filled with my clothes and scarce belongings. Luckily for me, a good friend took me into her home. I stayed with her family during the last few months of my senior year in high school. These were very tough times for me. With the exception of my best friend and her family, my boyfriend, and a few other friends, I was alone.”
On his site, he goes on to reveal, “I was very stressed and felt the weight of the world was on my shoulders. It was a living hell. One afternoon, I got a phone call from GLAAD’s Director of National News. I was told that she would be more than happy to help me in any way possible. She told me that on behalf of GLAAD she was available for as long as needed as my “pr rep.”
GLAAD saved my life. Not in a physical definition, I would have managed without them. However, their support was extremely important at the emotional, social and educational level. If they had not come into my life, my grades would have plummeted and I would have pushed my remaining friends away. The stress had gotten to the point that I was getting daily migraines, and I barely slept. Now that GLAAD was in my life I began feeling better for I knew someone was watching my back. Improvements in my daily life began in earnest. I regained my previous GPA; the headaches stopped; I started sleeping again.
Of course, after GLAAD there were others. The HRC came to ask what I needed and even invited me to Atlanta to one of their yearly galas, and PFLAG hosted a pro-gay rally in my honor. In addition, many individuals came to my rescue when big organizations didn’t. I had innumerable donations from people around the world who wanted not only for me to have a good prom, but to help me start off on the right foot once I graduated. I was taken in by a wonderful family in California over the summer, which will forever be in my heart, and I met some amazingly influential people along the way.
The thing I really want to stress is how I felt those first few days, and that is a feeling of total isolation.
Since then, my life has been like a wild and turbulent ocean. The one thing that I needed the most was a life vest, a way to stay afloat in the wild sea I had been thrown into. GLAAD was that life vest.”
His bravery in face of danger inspired many. And he took matters in his own hand. He created Life Vest , a non-profit group that pledges to support gay youths. “There is a giant need for disadvantaged gay youth like myself. I felt like it was something that needed to be done, and I took care of it,” says Derrick.
Our mission is simple: “To be a helping hand, a life vest, to as many LGBT teens and adults as possible. We will carry out this mission through the establishment of safe places in as many cities as possible; through opening a call center with a qualified and well-educated and experienced team of counselors who can give advice where needed; through finding qualified and screened families who can, if the need arises, host rejected teens while they finish schooling or find a new place.”
Derrick is in college now, in his first semester in Georgia. He has his sights set on law school in New York or possibly California. His burgeoning activism is now his biggest priority. “LifeVest has become 90% of my life! Truly, my only goal is to help people.”
Please support this young man and his wonderful group. PROJECT LIFE VEST .
A LifeVest to LGBTQ youths in need.
Call us anytime, day or night, at 510/725/1408.
PLEASE JOIN THE FACEBOOK PAGE AND HELP SPREAD THE WORD!
Best Gay News Magazine
Even President Obama Says It Get’s Better!
I don’t think there has ever
been a bigger LGBT movement!
When Dan Savage launched IT GETS BETTER a few weeks ago, I am sure he never dreamed President Obama would participate! High profile celebs from around the world have stepped up! (Except George Bush. Oh yeah, and Chelsea Handler!)
But it’s kind of funny – is it all just lip service? As Towleroad points out, “President Obama, as long as the actions of your administration continue to tell LGBT people that they are less than equal citizens, that they do not deserve to marry the person that they love, that they do not deserve to serve openly in the U.S. military, that they can still be fired from jobs because of who they are, how can you promise these kids that “it gets better?”
Thank you for recording this message. Please follow up your words with actions. Set the example you say is so important.”
Watch the President Obama Video .
DAN SAVAGE responds on CNN! “Here you have the President of the United States saying that you didn’t choose it — to be gay — and you will get through this…that said, the President of the United States has the power to do more than assure LGBT kids that it will get better; the President of the United States has the power to make it better for LGBT adults and children.”
Watch Dans Response .
For the hearing impaired, here is the text –
Video for the “It Gets Better” Project
Like all of you, I was shocked and saddened by the deaths of several young people who were bullied and taunted for being gay, and who ultimately took their own lives. As a parent of two daughters, it breaks my heart. It’s something that just shouldn’t happen in this country.
We’ve got to dispel the myth that bullying is just a normal rite of passage—that it’s some inevitable part of growing up. It’s not. We have an obligation to ensure that our schools are safe forall of our kids. And to every young person out there you need to know that if you’re in trouble, there are caring adults who can help.
I don’t know what it’s like to be picked on for being gay. But I do know what it’s like to grow up feeling that sometimes you don’t belong. It’s tough. And for a lot of kids, the sense of being alone or apart—I know can just wear on you. And when you’re teased or bullied, it can seem like somehow you brought it on yourself—for being different, or for not fitting in with everybody else.
But what I want to say is this. You are not alone. You didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t do anything to deserve being bullied. And there is a whole world waiting for you, filled with possibilities. There are people out there who love you and care about you just the way you are. And so, if you ever feel like because of bullying, because of what people are saying, that you’re getting down on yourself, you’ve got to make sure to reach out to people you trust. Whether it’s your parents, teachers, folks that you know care about you just the way you are. You’ve got to reach out to them, don’t feel like you’re in this by yourself.
The other thing you need to know is, things will get better. And more than that, with time you’re going to see that your differences are a source of pride and a source of strength. You’ll look back on the struggles you’ve faced with compassion and wisdom. And that’s not just going to serve you, but it will help you get involved and make this country a better place.
It will mean that you’ll be more likely to help fight discrimination—not just against LGBT Americans, but discrimination in all its forms. It means you’ll be more likely to understand personally and deeply why it’s so important that as adults we set an example in our own lives and that we treat everybody with respect. That we are able to see the world through other people’s eyes and stand in their shoes—that we never lose sight of what binds us together.
As a nation we’re founded on the belief that all of us are equal and each of us deserves the freedom to pursue our own version of happiness; to make the most of our talents; to speak our minds; to not fit in; most of all, to be true to ourselves. That’s the freedom that enriches all of us. That’s what America is all about.
And every day, it gets better.
IT GETS BETTER PROJECT
24 hour help and hotline at TREVOR PROJECT
Best Gay News
Broadway sings “It Gets Better” for the Trevor Project
Broadway stars
rock out in a celebration of life,
in the wake of LGBT
suicides across the nation.
Please
SHARE this original song and video
to help send a message
of hope and support.
Principal Jennifer Chauby is Combating Anti-Gay Slurs at Her School
WHAT A MESS!
Thank God and Al Gore for the Internet! 30 years ago, stuff like this would happen, and it went unnoticed. These days, news can spread like wildfire.
Case in point – a school in the Cleveland area of Ohio. North High School in Eastlake, Ohio is attracting some attention after a student and YouTube user posted a video of high school students engaged in a group chant at a football game between North and its rival, Willoughby South High .
Student Heather Ike recorded the fans chanting “powder blue faggots” at the opposing team. Willoughby’s team color is light blue.
“It is completely unacceptable and we will look at the video and see if we can identify students and they could be suspended,” says Willoughby-Eastlake Superintendent Keith Miller.
He says that the principal at North High School did hear the chanting and intervened but that is not on the tape.
Students told Channel 3 News today that these types of chants have been going on for years, and that South High School uses it’s own anti-gay slurs against North.
“This is not okay and we will address it, ” said Miller.
Asks Heather Ike, the former student who posted the video to YouTube: “What are the teachers teaching our children at Wiloughby-Eastlake Schools? With the combined efforts of Mentor High School’s gay-suicide track record, all of Cleveland’s Eastern city school districts need to be educated about bullying and hate crimes against gays and lesbians!”
WATCH THE VIDEO CLIP
We spoke with the principal of North High this morning. Jennifer Chauby. She has been at the school about 3 years.
“When I first arrived at this school, there was a sporting event, and something similar to this happened. I was appalled! And we immediately addressed the students and said this was not acceptable and educated them as to why.” explained Chauby. “We even started a gay/straight alliance group here at the school. Now two years later, for some reason, this slur has reared it’s ugly head again, and we will not tolerate it. “
“We have again, addressed the students and have said, THIS MUST STOP. We have speakers come in, in the coming months, who will also speak on the topic. We have had a bullying program in place and all our staff is sensitive to the needs of all students and I think we are very pro-active. It’s unfortunate this happened. But we are taking to steps to educate the students.”
How do we educate the young? At school? At home? How do we teach love. Acceptance. Compassion. Tolerance. And not hate?
That is the big question.
HATE and HURT, must STOP!
Best Gay News
It Gets Better with Dan Savage – is the New NOH8 from Adam Bouska
I am so happy projects like this take off!
30 years ago, things like this were not possible. But with Social Media and younger people having more open minds, GAY is not the dirty word, it once was.
Last Week we told you about the Dan Savage IT GET’S BETTER project on You Tube and Facebook . It is really picking up steam and they are getting THOUSANDS of videos! YouTube had to lift their rule for uploading limitations for them!
Everyone is coming forward to help! Chaz Bono, Tim Gunn, Perez Hilton, everyone wants to help spread this important message!
Dan said, “Why are we waiting for permission to talk to these kids? We have the ability to talk directly to them right now. We don’t have to wait for permission to let them know that it gets better. We can reach these kids.”
Best Gay News
Rapper 50 Cent Encourages Gay Suicide – Are You Listening Chelsea Handler???
Rapper 50 Cent’s
Twitter war against
gay people continues.
The rapper earlier this month caused a stir by writing, “Perez Hilton called me douchebag, so I had my homie shoot up a gay wedding. wasnt his, but made me feel better.”
Now 50 Cent has returned to Twitter to spread his deep philosophy on the prerequisites for manhood and apparently living, because men over 25 who don’t perform oral sex on women should, he says, “kill your self damn it.”
W T F ?
What is wrong with this world!!!
