Category Archives: Bullying
Homophobic People meet and hug a Gay Person
From the Gay Women Channel…
We took it in a different direction and asked 15 homophobic people to hug a gay stranger.
Some people question whether this experiment was real? or staged? what do you think?
Watch
Lance Bass, Marriage Equality and Mississippi Travel
Mississippi-born Lance Bass sure has been in the news lately. Two weeks ago he attacked Mississippi’s anti-gay religious “freedom to discriminate” bill. Yesterday the former ‘N Sync boy band singer met at the White House with President Obama to talk health care reform. Today, a video he recorded with his fiancé for Freedom To Marry’s new push to win marriage for same-sex couples in the Southern states launched.
Bass says he grew up in a town of just 2000 people, and “it felt great” to feel like his neighbors were part of his extended family.
“We were best friends for about a month,” Bass says of his now-fiancé Michael Turchin. “I didn’t know that he liked me, and he didn’t know that I liked him… We just related on so many things, and I just knew that he was going to be part of my life. And I’m just glad it’s going to be as a husband,” Bass says, with a boyish smirk.
“Marriage to me is a commitment that you make to the person you love that you want to spend the rest of your life with,” Bass says, and talks about how his parents role-modeled marriage for him.
Bass believes that “people really do support gay marriage,” and “there’s tons of support” in Mississippi. He urges the younger generation, whom he says is scared, to talk about marriage equality openly with their parents.
“There’s nothing to be scared of,” Turchin says.
Take a look at Freedom To Marry’s website, Southerners for the Freedom to Marry.
HOWEVER…….
GetEQUAL Mississippi — a statewide grassroots social justice organization working toward the full equality of all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Mississippians — has issued a “travel alert” to any LGBT person planning travel to the the state. This alert has been issued based on the fact that Mississippi is on the cusp of passing Senate Bill 2681 — the so-called “Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act” — through the House, and then sending it to the governor for signature or veto.
GetEQUAL Mississippi alerts those traveling to the state of a continued risk of discrimination based upon sexual orientation and/or gender identity. The State of Mississippi does not currently protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender (“LGBT”) people from being legally ejected from their hotel rooms or other places of public accommodation, and is on the cusp of passing legislation that would give business owners even more latitude to legally discriminate against minority groups.
Those who are required to travel to Mississippi are encouraged to take the following precautions:
– Avoid traveling alone in the state.
– Only book travel at hotels which have policies prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
– Visit only known LGBT-friendly establishments, including restaurants, bars and venues.
– Be aware of your surroundings and adopt other appropriate safety measures to protect yourself while traveling.
12 Year Old Boy Disscusses LGBT Issues
Gosh, these gay kids get younger and younger! I guess I knew when I was 10 or 11 – but know knew how to come out in the 70’s. There was no internet!
Meet Marcel Neergaard who sometimes writes for Huffington Post. He is a LGBTQ youth activist, singer, avid reader and cat fanatic.
“I am often picked on because of who I am,” 12-year-old Marcel Neergaard writes in a new piece on The Huffington Post. “Sometimes being openly gay is like having a sign above my head that flashes ‘Different’ in neon colors.”
The article paints a heartbreaking portrait of what life is like for too many gay youths in America.
Mother Jones expose on Gay Hater Scott Lively
- Scott Lively on How Homosexuals Supposedly Prey on Children
- Scott Lively on the Types of Homosexuality
- Scott Lively on the Causes of Homosexuality
- Ugandans Recount Scott Lively’s Message
- Stephen Langa – Director of the Family Life Network
- Charles Tuhaise – Principal Research Officer for Uganda’s Parliament
- Meet the American Pastor Behind Uganda’s Anti-Gay Crackdown via @MotherJones: http://mojo.ly/1eaRxOZ
No Shirts, No Shoes, No Homosexuals
ARIZONA becomes first state to pass law ALLOWING for discrimination of LGBT people!
That’s the latest anti-gay line coming from religious groups bringing forth a flurry of new state bills seeking ways to refuse providing goods and services to LGBT couples.
Say a gay couple in Phoenix walks into a bakery to order their wedding cake. The baker refuses to take their order because of his deeply held religious beliefs. Under a measure that passed the Arizona Legislature this week, the baker would have greater protection to invoke religion to shield himself from a discrimination lawsuit.
The bill, approved by the Republican-controlled Senate on Wednesday and the GOP-led House on Thursday, would bolster a business owner’s right to refuse service to gays and others if the owner believes doing so violates the practice and observance of his or her religion.
The state Senate passed it on a straight party-line vote, 17 to 13. The House followed suit, 33 to 27, with two Republicans joining all the Democrats in opposition.
On Wednesday, the Kansas House overwhelmingly passed a bill that would allow people and businesses to refuse service based on sexual orientation or marital status—if doing so would be contrary to the “sincerely held religious beliefs of the individual.”
Gabourey Sidibe Under fire for Remarks about “Trannys”
Actress Gabourey Sidibe was on Arsenio recently joking about the “tranny on tranny” fights she witnessed in New Orleans, while filming “Coven”.
Executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, Mara Keisling told the HuffPost:
Using the word ‘tranny’ isn’t OK anymore.
Using it to make fun of people is definitely not OK. And using it to
make fun of any kind of violence is just plain wrong. I know she meant
it in fun but that’s the problem in this case. It’s not just that she
used the word ‘tranny’ but that she’s making fun of violence in a city
where the police have a history of committing violence and
discrimination against trans women of color. It’s the kind of thing that
trans people listen to and say, ‘This is someone who is not thinking
about our lives. This is someone who is making fun of our problems.’
Gabby is someone who has approached lots of different social issues with
grace and class and so this is just such a disappointment.
Using the word ‘tranny’ isn’t OK anymore.
Watch the clip.
Heterosexual Awareness Month Facebook Page Shut Down for Hate
There was a page/group on Facebook called The “Heterosexual Awareness Month”.
heterosexuals exist and don’t really need awareness. And want our LGBT
friends family and allies to know that WE LOVE THEM VERY VERY MUCH 🙂 “
Being Gay and Living in Russia
While the Russian government is allowing gays to be killed and tortured, the LGBT community in Russia is trying to protect themselves. Homophobia is at an all time high. The gay community has even had to form their own taxi service because it is so unsafe there.
last year, Russia’s LGBT community went from being a stigmatized fringe
group to full-blown enemies of the state. Homophobia becoming
legislation means it’s now not only accepted in Russia but actively
encouraged, which has led to a depressing rise in homophobic attacks and
murders.
The main aim of the law, which essentially bans any
public display of homosexuality, is to prevent minors from getting the
impression that being gay is normal. Which means that, if you’re young
and gay in Putin’s Russia, you’re ostracized and cut off from any kind
of legal support network.
In part 1 we get a ride with Artem, a
young driver for Moscow’s gay taxi service “Our Taxi”, meet Nikita, a
17-year-old activist who has been labeled a “propagandist” because of
his LGBT rights YouTube channel, and Yulia, a young lesbian who started
LGBT self defense classes after her favorite gay bar in Moscow was
attacked by about 20 armed men in October 2012.
Blake McIver Ewing All grown Up and a Big Gay Hottie
One more for our team!
Blake Mciver Ewing has apparently done a lot of growing up over the years and is now apparently living his life as a proud gay man.
He is currently a regular fixture on “The People’s Couch,” providing witty commentary about television shows and viral clips alongside openly gay entertainer Scott Nevins. People’s Couch is Bravo’s three-part test run of their adaptation of
“When I was 14 I came very close to becoming a gay teen suicide
‘statistic’ but I then turned to music, my piano, my loved ones, and
discovered that it does in fact get better,” the actor noted in a
YouTube description of him performing a poignant anti-bullying song.
“But that being said, I believe we must raise awareness to protect the
LGBT teens who are still being physically and verbally assaulted and
fear for their lives every day. We also have a responsibility to end
this suicide epidemic.”
Be sure to follow him on Twitter and Instagram, where he posts many sexy shots of himself!
Skinheads in Russia Torture Gay Teens
HOW SICK IS THIS?
Martsinkevich, known under the nickname “Cleaver” (or “Tesak” in
Russian) spearheaded a country wide campaign against LGBT teens using a
popular social network VK.com to lure unsuspected victims through
personal ads.
VK.com social network in order to organize illegal militant groups in
every Russian city.
targets exclusively male teenagers who respond to the same-sex personal
ads and show up for a date. Captured victims are bullied and often
tortured while being recorded on video.
Video recordings of bullying and
tortures are freely distributed on the Internet in order to out LGBT
teens to their respective schools, parents and friends. Many victims
were driven to suicides, the rest are deeply traumatized. So far Russian
police took no action against these “movements” even though Russian
criminal code was clearly violated and despite numerous complaints from
parents, victims and LGBT activists. Social network VK.com
intermittently shuts down selected groups and profiles only to allow
them to be re-open on the next day. Currently, the founder of VK.com,
Pavel Durov, resides in the US and so far has not released any
comments. read more
Jess Godwin Sings About Bullying
Greater>Than
is being released at the start of summer break, because it is time away from
school when kids who are bullied can catch their breath.
help by working with their child to find something to do that will enhance
their self-confidence while they are away from school. Upon seeing this video, the hope is that parents
and their children will be inspired to explore healthier avenues of
self-expression.
If you are in anyway inspired
by Greater>Than, I would be
incredibly grateful if you would take the time to share it with anyone you feel
might benefit from the message. We are
trying to reach as many students, parents, and teachers as possible.
Thank you,
Jess Godwin
WATCH THE VIDEO
The music video was inspired by a young
woman who struggled in school until she started taking guitar lessons: Paula’s Story:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
The New F Word, an Anti Bully Photo Campaign
After nearly a year of passion, dedication,
and development coupled with the unwavering support of our family,
friends, and some of our favorite celebs …
Friend Movement proudly presents:
“THE NEW F WORD –
GIVING BULLYING THE BIRD”
An edgy anti-bully campaign and brainchild of producers Ronnie Kroell
& Elliot London, photographer Ryan Forbes, and branding guru Bianca
Kosoy. The New F Word aims to keep the conversation about bullying
alive, but more importantly it was designed to empower individuals and
inspire all of us to take ACTION.
Our goal is to shoot …
10,000 Photos in 90 Days, across 40 Cities
Fresno, Sacramento, Reno, Eugene, Seattle, Portland, Spokane,
Billings, Fargo, Minneapolis, Madison, Rockford, Chicago, Detroit,
Cleveland, Rochester, Boston, Provincetown, Philadelphia, DC, Raleigh,
NYC, Savannah, Jacksonville, Tampa, Orlando, Tallahassee, Mobile,
Montgomery, Atlanta, Chattanooga, Nashville Birmingham, Jackson, Little
Rock, Kansas City, Omaha, Denver, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas.
When someone is being bullied, we want them to have an inner
monologue of “F-U I’m amazing … I don’t need your approval.” By doing
so, they can reclaim their power and rise above the fear that can
prevent them from being the diverse, confident, and beautiful
individuals they were meant to be.
While we may not be able to fully eradicate
bullying, we can commit to being better friends to one another – to
ourselves. So, get those middle fingers ready because THE NEW F WORD is
FRIEND.
Thank you for your time and support!!
Ronnie & Elliot
