A New Resource

Here's a great resource for teen issues, from drug abuse to parental issues and how to walk through the steps of getting back on track at.FamilyFirstAid

LGBT Crime Survivors of Family & Sexual Violence

Here is a resource for those who have suffered from family and/or sexual violence.

GOP and Their Rantings About LGBT Families

Since losing the election and several of their Senate seats, topped off with the surprising victory in the four states for same sex marriage, the Tea Party flopheads have begun to forcefully attack the gay marriage issue. Tony Perkins, well known hater and President of the Family Research Council recently went on record, and outright attack, against legalizing gay marriage.

As seen here in this video posted by the Advocate, he compares "homosexuality to abortion, saying both 'run counter to natural law,'...", followed by, "I'm telling you what, I think you will create a firestorm of opposition. I think that could be the straw that broke the camel's back.When you look at a nation that is so divided along these moral and cultural issues, that you could have — you know I hate to use the word — but, I mean, a revolt. A revolution. I mean, I think you could see Americans saying, 'You know what? Enough of this.' And I think it could explode and just break this nation apart."



So it begins anew, against the obvious wishes of the populace, and at a time when the opposition could be focusing on more pressing issues...like bipartisanship in Washington...like letting women decide for themselves when it comes to their own bodies...like a lot of issues more pressing than what's already been decided.

Exit Polls and the role LGBT voters played...

ADVOCATE Magazine: Nov 8, 2012

Exit polls have a lot to say about the role LGBT issues played in the election, and on how President Obama's support for marriage equality might have resonated with the electorate.

Lesbian, gay and bisexual voters sided heavily with Obama, for example, helping to propel him to a commanding win. Exit polls conducted for The New York Times and other media outlets indicated that 5% of voters were gay, lesbian or bisexual. (Voters weren't asked whether they are transgender.) Of those, 76% voted for Obama. While that number is high, it's also a six-percentage-point increase over the 2008 election for the president.

Where marriage equality was on the ballot, exit polls offer insight into whether it helped or hurt the president. The Associated Press reports that exit polls in Maryland, where voters approved legalizing same-sex marriage, show those who sided with equality broke strongly for Obama, while those opposed joined Romney. It was Obama and marriage equality that prevailed.

The time has arrived for a change in Washington and this country. Time for equality for everyone, regardless of sexual preference, gender identity or all other labels society feels obligated to place on people. Help make those changes become a reality by becoming involved.

Incredible testimony by a gay youth!

London Gay Men’s Chorus kick-starts video campaign for gay youth

A new campaign in London against bullying, very similar to the "It Gets Better" project here in the US, the London Gay Men's Chorus recorded a video as part of the Proud2Be Project, which aims to encourage gay youngsters to be proud of their sexuality.

The Proud2Be Project, which was founded by Matt and Jon Price last year, aims to include more videos from organisations and individuals as well as continuing to petition for change. It is hoped the project will also put on workshops, produce documentaries and exhibitions, and initiate Proud2Be centres.

                            

The founders encourage anyone who supports the project to send in videos and the identical twins explain their reasons for initiating the project on their website: “As children, the overriding message we received from our school, our church, the media and society was that being gay was something to be ashamed of. Although many would argue that times our changing, for us change could not come fast enough,” they say.

“Still the messages our LGBT youth receive are not too dissimilar to the ones we heard as children. When a child is told at school to ‘act less gay’ to avoid being bullied, the message is loud and clear. When a teacher fails to challenge a student who uses the word ‘gay’ as a put down, the message is loud and clear. When public figures continue to use derogatory and offensive language to describe the transgender community, the message is loud and clear.

They add: “Our desire is for our LGBTQ youth to access a new loving message and for that message to be as loud and as clear as the rest.”

We wish them all the success that the same project has achieved here in the states and hope that this movement will spread to the corners of the globe. There is a long road ahead, especially in view of the upcoming elections and the potential for a backslide in LGBT rights should the GOP gain control of hte government.

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Suicide claims another LGBT youth: Trevor Project intern Eric Borges – LGBTQ Nation

Facebook photo-EricJames

Sadly we say goodbye to another young person who thought the only way to end the pain was to take his own life. And once again, I have to add another picture, another name to the page of those who have preceded him.

EricJames, a young filmmaker, intern at The Trevor Project, and a Supplemental instructor at the College of the Sequoias took his own life January 11th after trying to be on his own, dealing with personal issues.

A young film maker, EricJames posted this video on November 10, 2011, in which he also appears — the subtext of his video was described as “love is universal.”



Update: Laura McGinnis, Communications Director at The Trevor Project sent LGBTQ Nation this statement:

We are deeply saddened to hear about the tragic death of EricJames Borges, and our hearts go out to his family and friends, and his community. EricJames was a dedicated, trained volunteer. Our main concern right now is that those affected by his death feel supported and can get the care they need. If you or someone you know needs support, please don’t hesitate to call the Trevor Lifeline at 866-488-7386.

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Socialshield Announced at CES in Las Vegas

A cloud-based program called SocialShield has introduced an application that can track your child's language, posts, etc. on most of the social networks. The idea behind the program is not to snoop on anyone's personal information but to give a heads up to parents about possible issues that could affect the health and welfare of their child. It watches for certain words commonly associated with bullying, harassment, etc. and alerts the parents that there may be a problem with their child being cyberbullied, have improper postings, and other problems that possibly need intervention.

Here's a short video about the program.

General Overview for Homepage from SocialShield on Vimeo.

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Warning Signs of Suicide | The Trevor Project

Now that the new year has begun and the festivities are over, it's time to get back to talking about the pressing issues of LGBT bullying, suicide and homelessness.

We present here information from The Trevor Project, one of the nation's leading non-profit organizations for teens that offers many services for LGBTQ teens and others who are struggling with emotional issues surround gender identity, family crisis, bullying and being homeless. That's what this blog is about and the more information I can get out about these socio-economic problems in our society of throw away kids, the better chance I have of saving at least one life.

• Nine out of 10 LGBT students (86.2%) experienced harassment at school; three-fifths (60.8%) felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation; and about one-third (32.7%) skipped a day of school in the past month because of feeling unsafe (GLSEN National School Climate Survey 2009).

• LGBT students are three times as likely as non-LGBT students to say that they do not feel safe at school (22% vs. 7%) and 90% of LGBT students (vs. 62% of non-LGBT teens) have been harassed or assaulted during the past year. (GLSEN From Teasing to Torment 2006)

• Sexual minority youth, or teens that identify themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual, are bullied two to three times more than heterosexuals. (Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH 2010)

• Almost all transgender students had been verbally harassed (e.g., called names or threatened in the past year at school because of their sexual orientation (89%) and gender expression (89%) (GLSEN: Harsh Realities, The Experiences of Transgender Youth In Our Nation’s Schools 2009).

• LGBT youth in rural communities and those with lower adult educational attainment face particularly hostile school climates (JG, Greytak EA, Diaz EM – Journal of Youth & Adolescence 2009)

• Lesbian, gay, and bisexual adolescents are 190 percent more likely to use drugs and alcohol than are heterosexual teens (Marshal MP, Friedman MS, et al – Addiction 2008).

• It is estimated that between 20 and 40 percent of all homeless youth identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender (2006 National Gay & Lesbian Task Force: An Epidemic of Homelessness). 62% of homeless LGB youth will attempt suicide at least once—more than two times as many as their heterosexual peers (Van Leeuwen JMm et al – Child Welfare 2005)

I encourage each of you to first, VOTE in the upcoming elections. The results are going to have a direct impact on all social services directed towards youth in crisis, and second, volunteer, give of your money or time to help put an end to these problems.

Welcome to the New Year 2012 -  time to get going!

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January 1, 2012 and a New Year Begins!

News is slow around the holidays as the events surrounding the ringing in of a new year seem to take precedence over the social and political issues we should be watching. However, to give the new year our "certificate of importance", here is a picture from Las Vegas, NV of fireworks from the Las Vegas Strip.

Our wish is that in this very important election year every eligible voter gets out and votes their conscience for the candidate that will best represent and follow through with their campaign promises, especially as they relate to LGBTQ issues and the Equality of the LGBT community to be legally married, be free from bullying, and to end the horrific consequences of suicide and homelessness among teens in this country.

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Calif teen to be sentenced for killing gay student

After three years of legal wrangling, a mistrial, and a final plea bargaining deal, Brandon McInerney has been sentenced today to 21 years in prison for the 2008 murder of fellow student, 15-year-old Larry King at E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard, CA.

McInerney                                             King

McInerney shot King - an openly gay student - in the classroom in front of other students after supposedly being harassed by him on several different occasions. This blatant murder raised the ire of LGBT groups across the globe when it recently ended in a mistrial (search here for the thread of this entire story for more information) over the issue of him being tried as an adult who committed a hate crime. Several jurors thought he should have been tried as a juvenile and others thought that it was not considered a hate crime.

The obvious fact is that he murdered a fellow classmate, in school, in front of other students with premeditation. At least some justice has finally been served today as he is sentenced to 11 years for voluntary manslaughter and 10 years for use of a firearm. The unfortunate thing is that it won't bring Larry King back. The flip side is that this case has brought to the forefront the issue of LGBT bullying, harassment and discrimination that runs rampant through our school systems nationwide. An epidemic that is slowly becoming more in the news and hopefully, one that will eventually be tamed to the point that we don't have to talk about kids killing each other or taking their own lives because they might be gay.

Hopefully this is the end of this unfortunate saga and Larry can rest in peace. We'll see.

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Utah Teen Outed by School Officials... to "Protect" Him?

School administrators in a Utah middle school "outed" a teen against his will saying that they were preventing him from being bullied by doing so. The Alpine School District teen who has remained unmentioned by name was out to his friends, but not his parents.

Coming out to your parents is a very hard,  very  emotional and troubling time. To have school officials tell your parents you may be gay before you're ready is going above and beyond their responsibility to protect kids while in school or on school premises and can lead to disastrous results for the outed teen.

Civil rights groups blasted the move as a violation of the student's right to privacy.

"The school's decision to disclose deprived the young man the right to reveal highly personal aspects of his life at a time and manner of his choice," Joe Cohn of the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah told The Associated Press on Thursday.
Cohn said there are serious consequences in such cases, especially in communities where homosexuality can carry a tremendous stigma.

"Taking away the choice for a LGBT student to come out on their own terms opens the door to significant risks, including harassment at school and family rejection," network Executive Director Eliza Byard said in a statement. "Schools should be able to provide LGBT students with support and resources in order to make an informed decision if and when they decide to come out to their school community and family."

 One out of four homeless teens are LGBTQ according to recent statistics. Most of them were thrown out before the age of 18 for coming out to their family and friends.

This move on the part of school administrators violates every common sense thought about protecting someone from being bullied. Apparently they don't possess common sense, or most likely, both that and are very uneducated about what it's like to be LGBT. Educating teachers and school officials is of the utmost importance in preventing teen bullying, homelessness and teen suicide as a result of identity struggles with being LGBT.

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West Virginia Moves to Protect LGBT Students - Model for Other States

The great state of West Virginia has led the way in ending bullying against almost every group habitually discriminated against with the passage of new language by the W. Virginia Board of Education. These new regulations, enforceable across the state, very clearly state that:

"Acts of harassment, intimidation, or bullying that are reasonably perceived as being motivated by any actual or perceived differentiating characteristic, or by association with a person who has or is perceived to have one or more of these characteristics, shall be reported using the following list: race; color; religion; ancestry; national origin; gender; socioeconomic status; academic status; gender identity or expression; physical appearance; sexual orientation; mental/physical/developmental/ sensory disability; or other characteristic."

This appears to be, on the outside, a model that other states can follow if they choose that will hopefully transform the current social non-acceptance of LGBT students, as well as those who fall under the categories specified in the new rules.

All I can say is...it's about time someone got the message!

 

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Gay Teen Suicide Awareness | causes.com

This is a "cause" near and dear to my heart, my writing, my life. It's a part of my mission statement and should be for anyone that cares at all about ending teen suicide resulting from bullying of any kind. My wish is that I live long enough to see an end to LGBTQ suicides.

If you can, support where you feel moved to do so, be an activist for equality for all, be aware.

"Gay teens are often isolated, tormented, harassed, beaten, and disowned in an intolerant and ignorant society. Mental health studies have shown that depression and anxiety are extremely common-place in people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans-gendered, or questioning. The hardship of being a teen, gay, and depressed can be overwhelming and often times leads to suicide.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for ages 10 - 24 and gay teens are 4 times more likely to commit suicide than their straight peers.

Gay or straight, a person should never have to feel suicide is the only way out. However, due to the alarming percentage of suicides that occur among teens, gay teen suicide is an extremely vital issue that is, for the most part, unknown to many."

Help spread the word. Help save a life.

1. Suicide is the leading cause of death for young adults
2. Gay teens are up to 4 times more likely to commit suicide compared to straight teens
3. Every 5 hours, a gay teen tragicly ends their own life
4. Suicide is not an answer, it's a problem.
5. If you are considering suicide PLEASE Call 1-866-4-U-TREVOR. No matter how much it hurts, it will hurt more people by not calling.

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Dharun Ravi turns down plea deal in Tyler Clementi webcam spy case | NJ.com

Seems as though Tyler Clementi's cyberbullying roomate, Dharun Ravi, didn't want to take a plea deal in the case involving his taping of Tyler's private interaction with another male. The plea deal would have given him probation and almost assured him the capability of staying in the country with no further actions taken against him.

However, since, in the words of his attorney, "he's not guilty", now he faces, if found guilty, possible jail followed by deportation.

I'm glad he decided to plead not guilty....maybe now justice will be served.

The judge rejected the defense motion to dismiss the indictment against Dharun that charges him with invading the privacy of his former roommate at Rutgers University and bias intimidation.

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GOP State Representative Beats Mentally Disabled Son, Kicks Him In Ribs Outside Restaurant

Wow...another Republican finds a sensible way to eliminate autism and disabled people (even family).  Just kick them, beat them, humiliate them in public. Works every time...except this time. What is wrong with people *my non-political discrimination language* when they beat their disabled kids.

Oh wait, I forgot! Republicans do endorse inequality for all except fellow rich ones, favor humiliation and jail for those who are too poor or unable to defend themselves, and definitely don't like other people interfering with their "Christian" family values. Values strictly based, of course, upon the literal translation of some Bible they alone possess and not generally available to the public. One that does allow discrimination, bullying, the raising of the rich to super elite status, and of course, does not in any way provide for ANY accountability for their actions.

As the saying goes, "Balls to the walls boys!" Time to kick these bullying, bible-thumping assholes to the curb! Times...they are a changing...and we the poor, oppressed, bullied, disabled and unequal will not take this twisted style of management any longer.

Disclaimer:
*small print*    Please note: If I have offended anyone, please feel free to leave a comment telling me so I can block your ass from doing so in the future. No comment (the 5th - remember? It used to be a constitutional right until the GOP came along and stripped it away for the lower class.)

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Friends say classmate killed self after bullying on sexuality

Jacob Rogers - December 7, 2011

If people could only understand how hard it is to report about another teenage life lost to bullying, the feelings of loss that the family feels, the memories, the tears...they all come back each and every time we lose another one...then maybe this would end.

Maybe if people - that means you school administrators - would start listening to these kids and take definitive action against bullying instead of sweeping it under the rug because "it's a phase...they're just kids", then maybe this will end. But adults don't like to be held accountable for their inaction. It's something they've passed on to their kids, and they in turn will pass it on to theirs.

By all account Jacob Rogers friends say that kids bullied him at Cheatham County Central High School for the past four years, but in the past few months it had become so bad he dropped out of school.

And Wednesday, December 7th, he ended his life. and I get to add another face, another name to my memories page.

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End Bullying Campaign tops 100K

The Stop Bullying, Speak Up Pledge campaign has now reached -  as of this posting - has hit 100,699 signers! no, wait...that's 100,704 people that know just a little more about the subject and want to end the hate.

Take the time...take the pledge...the sign up is on this blog, or here.

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Bret Easton Ellis To Bullied Kids: Get Over It | Out Magazine

"Man Up," says the author of 'American Psycho.'

It's just that simple according to this asshole who says he was bullied when younger. Bah! He's the bully and his rants and raves on Twitter show how much he knows about the subject. Why do all the wrong people get the right coverage? *thinking to myself - that's just what I'm doing here!*

People like Bret Easton are in this for the money and the fame. Maybe he should hang out - or get married to - a recent Kardashian from the same school of thinking. Obviously he knows nothing about what it feels like to be bullied. So I'm not even going to post a picture or go any farther...he doesn't deserve another mention!

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Students Suspended in Rodemeyer Suicide

Jamey Rodenmeyer September 18, 2011

As we have followed the sad story of Jamey Rodenmeyer, the 14 year old student who took his own life in September after posting an "It Gets Better" video, recent developments in his suicide resulting from bullying were made public following a rather long police investigation. Essentially police are not prosecuting any students who purportedly bullied Jamey, leading to his death. Only after a large public outcry of injustice and coverup by the school and police has it come to light that several students have been suspended.

While they have not been named due to their age, the suspensions seem rather trivial and show a lack of accountability on the part of police, school administrators, and others involved in determining where to place blame.

As seems usual with cases involving teen suicide resulting from bullying, this is just another example of how far we have NOT come in dealing with educating the right people about bullying, and have not learned to recognize the signs of those who cry in the nighttime, but suffer in the daylight.

We MUST keep pressing, keep writing, keep pushing until this monster is gone from our midst. Young people that we have lost to this terrible disease of ignorance and hatred must not be forgotten and their deaths not in vain.

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