If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
The Blog
As a kid who was bullied in the public school system, I hope we can move away from dealing with bullying from a place of crisis and instead guide a bullying strategy rather than accepting it.
This is a story about you: You will survive bullying. We have met individuals who, like you, feel lonely, ashamed, depressed, hated, and even ready to die. But they are still here, achieving their true potential and sharing their stories -- your stories -- in Yale College's "It Gets Better" video.
Adults often underestimate children's ability to grasp the heart of a concept -- or run with an idea of their own -- but we're wrong. They're a lot smarter and more take-charge than we think. We're seeing that ability take hold now with bullying.
As in most presidential election years, noisy battles have been raging as the nation's political armies gear up for what promises to be an even nois...
Anyone in the media, in politics or behind closed doors who refuses to respect the dignity of another ought to be called out as a bully, a narcissist, a hate-inciter or all of the above. Let's not repeat the mistake we made with Senator Joe McCarthy by calling people like this "leaders."
A girl at my school started a "compliments" Facebook page, in which compliments that anyone submits about anyone else can be posted anonymously. In the first night, over 70 were posted!
The Dharun Ravi verdict and sentencing represents a dramatic shift in society's view of anti-gay bullying and of bias crimes against LGBT people. Just compare what Ravi did to Tyler Clementi to what Mitt Romney reportedly did to a nonconforming student at his prep school in 1965.
Often, our public discourse regarding the need to end bullying centers around the assumption that children are only bullied at school. That assumption couldn't be further from the truth.
This blog is my way to share with you the one project that I feel is the most important one of my life: The Bully Chronicles. The film will feature real teens, teachers, and parents. For the first time, the story will be told from the bully's perspective.
The American Dream is first ignited in the classroom, and bullying is a clear and present danger to our nation's safety, spirit and competitiveness. Each educator and campus leader has a key role to play in the national mission to create a safe environment for each child.
Many legislators and school-safety advocates have demanded "zero tolerance" for bullies. But as founder of Gay-Straight Alliance Network, a national organization that empowers students to create safer schools for LGBT youth, I can tell you there's a better way.
I waited for the old man to tell me I was nuts. He looked at me and said, "Maybe I am too old to change. Maybe your son and my grandson will be able to make things better."
Mitt Romney has encouraged young people to "take a risk," like he did back in prep school. "Take a shot, go for it," like he did. "Borrow money if you have to, start a business."
It has long troubled me when any population is marginalized and we don't benefit from their full, authentic participation and leadership in society. Recent advances in equal rights for our LGBT citizens are only a beginning.
