If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
I know first-hand the anguish for both parents and administrators when there's a child in crisis. If you reach an impasse with the school or find you are being stonewalled, here are some specific steps to inspire action.
Fag. Homo. Queer. These were the words I grew almost accustomed to hearing as I walked the halls of my school. I hated those words. Why did they call me those things? Why did I have to suffer through that relentless taunting?
I was bullied mercilessly as a young gay boy and teenager. My sixth-grade gym teacher told my classmates that my best friend and I must be "fags" because we spent so much time together. I recently wrote a letter to him.
Today, on National Gay-Straight Alliance Day, I am ready to celebrate! But first I must confess: I wish I didn't have to hear about another school district denying students their right to form the clubs that provide so much support and are protected by law.
I was bullied as an eighth grader. A year later I read a journal I had kept during that time. I read entries that said when I was "older" I had to do something to stop this from happening to another girl. That's where the idea of the Girl's Group started.
Isn't it our job not only to teach our kids social skills but also to try to make their environments as safe as possible within reason.
I'm calling B.S. on the "It Gets Better" propaganda. As we unfortunately just learned, it didn't get better for EricJames Borges, who took his own life only a month after filming his video for the "It Gets Better" campaign.
On January 25th, students in Massachusetts will participate in a No Name Calling Day in which they will sign pledges not to partake in bullying. I'm asking that everyone wear black and that we stand together to put an end to bullying.
Maybe because of the anti-bullying campaigns that have intensified recently, I noticed how members of the Peanuts gang treat Charlie Brown and was shocked by some of the things they say to him.
There are always myriad causes behind suicide. But that that does not alter the fact that the root cause of these tragedies is a strain of Christianity that continues to insist that homosexuality is an evil affront to God.
I used to work 20 hour days, every day, yell at my staff, make my partners crazy, and the truth is none of it really matters. I've been seeking a greater truth and going from Barneys to Soho House just wasn't doing it.
What we say has the power to bring life or death to any situation, person, or circumstance. The most detrimental component to speaking death to someone, much like what is said in cases of bullying, are the words that we release into the atmosphere.
Kevin and I recently met up for a drink, and the subject of those torturous skits came up. What amazes us as adults is how the boys involved never even got a mild talking to, much less disciplined for their outrageously homophobic behavior.
In the mind of some GOP Michigan lawmakers, there are exemptions for bullying. Those purposely vague exemptions give bullies a legal out if their act of harassment was done because of "deep moral conviction" or "religious belief."
Despite approximately 45 states maintaining some sort of anti-bullying laws, these laws contain broad exceptions and exemptions. Put plainly: they don't work.
All these years later, in a new world where bullying is being taken seriously and not something that "is just a part of life," I feel obligated to reach out and help others that have been hurt like me.
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