Parent-activist Deon Davis, author of I'll Find a Way, is holding a fundraiser Saturday, May 19, in Fort Lauderdale to benefit homeless LGBT youth.
The event will be 7 p.m. at PJ's Corner Pocket, 924 N. Flagler Dr. Minimum donation: $5.
National LGBT Cancer Network adds 300 facilities and 'transgender-friendly designation'
The National LGBT Cancer Network -- which includes Holtz Children's Hospital, Jackson Memorial Hospital, Jackson North Medical Center and Jackson South Community Hospital in Miami-Dade County, and Holy Cross Medical Group in Wilton Manors -- has added 300 facilities nationwide, along with "transgender-friendly designation.
Here's the news release:
LGBT CANCER NETWORK NOW DIRECTS PATIENTS TO 400 SCREENING FACILITIES IN MOST STATES; NEW TRANSGENDER-FRIENDLY DESIGNATION
NEW YORK, NY – April 23, 2012 - The National LGBT Cancer Network, the first program in the country to address the needs of all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people with cancer and those at risk, is pleased to announce that it has further expanded its officially approved directory of LGBT-friendly cancer screening facilities to cover 330 additional facilities. A previous New York State grant had limited the Center to the five boroughs of NYC, but the directory was first expanded to thirteen additional states and the District of Columbia in November 2011. The expansion was made possible by a generous grant from The Palette Fund; thanks to their generosity, the directory now covers facilities in most states. The Network is currently seeking to add facilities in those states not yet covered, with the goal of ensuring that all LGBT people in the US are within driving distance of a facility where they know they will be welcomed.
The directory is viewable at: http://www.cancer-network.org/screenings/facilities
Critically, the directory now includes a starred designation for facilities that have shown an exceptional commitment to transgender health. Many other cancer screening facilities are, if not outright hostile, unaware of how to treat transgender patients. This means, for instance, that a transgender man seeking a mammogram may be asked to don a pink robe or sit in the women’s waiting room – a humiliating experience. At both the starred facilities and any of the other facilities in the directory, transgender patients can join lesbians, gays, and bisexuals in resting assured that they will not be discriminated against.
Said Liz Margolies, Executive Director of the National LGBT Cancer Network: “We have selected each facility for inclusion based on its commitment to offering safe, affordable, welcoming care to all LGBT people. Each has demonstrated proven cultural competence in respecting the bodies, histories, and families of LGBT patients. We will research additional facilities and expand the list until every LGBT person in the country is within driving range of a safe and welcoming facility where they will be respected, and are offering our cultural competence training, Reexamining LGBT Healthcare, to facilities that want to be included but do not yet have the knowledge or training to warrant inclusion in our database.
“These facilities stand out from other medical facilities that conduct cancer screenings, at which LGBT patients often face a combination of ignorance and discrimination in accessing health care. While homophobia and transphobia among healthcare providers is declining, it is still very much in existence. One out of 5 transgender patients has been turned away by a health care provider. Even well-meaning providers have little training or experience with the LGBT population and our health risks. On average, medical students receive under 5 hours of training on LGBT issues in their entire medical education. To address these concerns from patients, we have included, wherever possible, a contact person at each facility who has agreed to shepherd members of the LGBT community through the process of being screened.
“Because LGBT people are far less likely to have health insurance, with transgender people having the lowest rates of all, the directory includes a number of facilities that do not require health insurance. Transgender people with insurance in their true gender also face the difficulty of getting screened for cancers in body parts that do not match the sex on their insurance card. For example, a transgender woman will not be covered for prostate screening and a transgender man will not be covered for cervical cancer screening.
“This new resources directory will help fill the urgent need for better cancer screening of the LGBT community. As a population, LGBT people are at increased risk of cancer, not due to any physiological differences, but behaviors, many of which result from the stress of living as sexual and gender minorities in this country. As a group, for example, lesbians drink more, smoke more, are less likely to have a biological child before age 30, and more likely to be overweight and eat a high-fat diet. All these increase their cancer risks considerably. Gay men have very high rates of HPV, the virus that can lead to anal cancer. In fact, anal cancer rates in this population are 40 times higher than in the general population. A simple screening procedure, an anal pap smear, can test for precancerous changes, but too few men are aware of the need for or existence of the test, or out to their provider who could then recommend it. Long-term HIV survivors are now also known to be at much greater risk for several types of cancer, including lung and renal cancer as well as anal cancer.
“My own partner, a transgender man, has never received a mammogram. Why? ‘Because it's really hard for me to prioritize taking care of body parts I'd like to think don't exist.’ But we must get screened and we must encourage those we love to do so too. As I always say: ‘If you love him, get him screened.’ The places listed in our facilities page are more safe and welcoming, but it takes more to overcome our fears and undo previous negative experiences. Go in packs, use the support of your social network. Go to one of the places listed on our website. Take care of that body.”
About the National LGBT Cancer Network
The National LGBT Cancer Network works to improve the lives of LGBT cancer survivors and those at risk by:
● EDUCATING the LGBT community about our increased cancer risks and the importance of screening and early detection;
● TRAINING health care providers to offer more culturally-competent, safe and welcoming care; and
● ADVOCATING for LGBT survivors in mainstream cancer organizations, the media and research.
More information is available at www.cancer-network.org.
Video | Lesbian mom removed from Boy Scouts petitions to allow gay and lesbian youth, leaders
News release from Change.org:
GAY MOM REMOVED FROM BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA PETITIONS GROUP TO ALLOW GAY AND LESBIAN YOUTH AND LEADERS
More than 115,000 support groundbreaking campaign started by Jennifer Tyrrell on Change.org asking Boy Scouts to stop discriminating against gay and lesbian scouts and leaders
Josh Hutcherson, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Glee’s Max Adler and Grant Gustin, and more show support at 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards
NEW YORK, NY – More than 115,000 people have signed a petition on Change.org started by Jennifer Tyrrell, a mother of a seven-year-old Cub Scout who was dismissed from her position of den leader by the Boy Scouts of America for being gay. Jennifer was removed from the position in March 2012 after nearly a year of exemplary service, during which her scouts were honored for their commitment to volunteerism, leadership, and community service.
Video of Tyrrell, her partner Alicia Burns and their four children sharing their story at the GLAAD Media Awards is available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WuqLJtoXyY. Her petition is available at http://change.org/scouts.
Jennifer’s petition urges the Boy Scouts of America to end their long-held policy that forbids lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth and gay LGBT leaders from participating in scouting. Her petition has drawn support from more than 115,000 Americans, including hundreds of current boy scouts, scout leaders, and former scouts. Celebrities including Josh Hutcherson, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Max Adler (Glee), Grant Gustin (Glee), Benicio del Toro, Chaz Bono, Tabatha Coffey, Mark Deklin (GCB), Trevor Donovon (90210), Laura san Giacomo, LZ Granderson, Joshua Jackson, Gilles Marini, Kyle Richards (Real Housewives of Beverly Hills), Miriam Shor (GCB), Hudson Taylor, Lisa VanderPump (Real Housewives of Beverly Hills), and Kim Wayans (Pariah) showed support for Jennifer’s campaign at the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards this past weekend.
“The Boy Scouts are supposed to have a platform of tolerance, acceptance, and support -- values that drew my son Cruz to be a scout, and that drew me to want to be a den leader,” said Tyrrell. “Yet by continuing to dismiss gay youth and gay leaders from their organization, the Boy Scouts of America is failing these values, harming families and communities by sending a message that all are not welcome.”
Bob Drury, a scout executive for the Ohio River Valley, attempted to defend the decision to ban Tyrrell to WTOV-TV. “We do not grant membership to individuals who are open or avow homosexuals,” said Drury. “The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to develop a character and leadership skills and [for] the youth of today to become the leaders of tomorrow. And anything that distracts from that mission, distracts from what our program is.” WTOV-TV reported that the decision was “solely based on her sexual orientation.”
Tyrrell responded: “Boy Scouts is about teaching kids to be better adults. We're not doing that by teaching them to hate or discriminate. They know that I care about them, that I lead them and that they can trust me. This is about parents being able to bond with their children. The Boy Scouts of America have denied me the ability to bond with my son and are teaching children to treat others unfairly.”
Among service organizations, the Boy Scouts are increasingly isolating themselves with their prohibition on gay youth and leaders. Organizations including the Girl Scouts of America, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, as well as the 4H Club all welcome gay kids as well as adult leaders. And just this month, the president of the James Beard Foundation announced that she would rescind her acceptance of the Boy Scouts’ Distinguished Citizen Award, noting the Scouts’ policy prohibiting gay people from service and leadership.
“The tide is turning. Look at the number of current and former scouts signing this petition, as well as the overwhelming support I’ve received in my own community from the scouts and families I used to lead,” said Tyrrell. “Together we can be heard, and this movement can send a message to the Boy Scouts that their policies against gay youth and gay leaders create nothing but division, frustration, and pain for scouting families and communities.”
Live signature totals from Jennifer Tyrrell’s campaign:
http://www.change.org/scouts
Sioux City, Iowa, paper devotes front page to fighting bullying, after 14-year-old gay boy kills self
BY TIMBERLY ROSS, ASSOCIATED PRESS
SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- In a rare and forceful act of advocacy, an Iowa newspaper devoted the entire front page of its Sunday edition to an anti-bullying editorial after a gay teen committed suicide.
Relatives have said 14-year-old Kenneth Weishuhn Jr. suffered intense harassment, including threatening cellphone calls and nasty comments posted online, after coming out to family and friends about a month ago. He died April 15 from what the local sheriff's office described only as a "self-inflicted injury."
The Sioux City Journal's front-page opinion piece calls on the community to be pro-active in stopping bullying and urges members to learn more about the problem by seeing the acclaimed new film, "Bully," which documents the harassment of a Sioux City middle school student. It notes that while many students are targeted for being gay, "we have learned a bully needs no reason to strike."
"In Kenneth's case, the warnings were everywhere," the editorial said. "We saw it happen in other communities, now it has hit home. Undoubtedly, it wasn't the first life lost to bullying here, but we can strive to make it the last.
Gallery | Aqua Girl 2012 VIP party in Miami Beach
Aqua Girl celebrates its 13th anniversary May 2-6 and more than 100 women and men attended a VIP fundraiser Saturday night at the Miami Beach home of Larry Hyer.
Aqua Girl® traces its beginnings to the year 1999. That year, Alison Burgos and NYC’s legendary women’s producer, Shescape, gathered a committee of like-minded women from around South Florida to produce an exciting one-night event to benefit breast cancer. The event, Sweet Charity, was an extraordinary dance event bringing together over 800 women and raising over $15,000 for two local breast cancer organizations, Cancer Link and Gilda’s Club.
In 2000, Sweet Charity grew into an entire weekend of events and Aqua Girl® was born. The goal was to create a dynamic national fundraising weekend celebrating women and the issues that affect them. Women descended on Miami from all over the world and the first year of this spectacular weekend of events was a huge success.
We can’t believe how time flies. Now in its thirteenth fabulous year, Aqua Girl® continues to attract women from all corners of the country, the Americas and around the globe. The week continues to grow with an ever-expanding variety of events that enhance its appeal and have created what is now one of the hottest women’s festivals in the country.
At Aqua Girl® there is something for everyone. We have dance parties, a comedy show, live music, pool parties, a bowlathon, a jazz brunch, a dine-out event, a VIP reception, celebrity meet-and-greets, and so much more. Having so much fun never did so much good.
As the largest charity women’s week in the country, your participation in Aqua Girl® contributes to a very good cause. In fact, 100% of the proceeds from Aqua Girl® benefit the Aqua Foundation for Women, a not-for-profit-foundation whose primary mission is to serve as a funding catalyst for lesbian, bisexual, and transgender wellness and equality in South Florida through grants, scholarships, and initiatives.
Monies raised during the Foundation’s signature week, as well as through individual and corporate donations, go directly to educate, empower and foster the lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women’s communities throughout South Florida.
Over the past seven years the AFW has giving out over $400,000 in grants and scholarships while empowering hundreds of women to be engaged in our community.
Click the photo to view a gallery from the party. Photos by STEVE ROTHAUS / Miami Herald Staff.
Video | Cher at GLAAD Media Awards: 'Chaz has the most courage of almost anyone I know'
From GLAAD:
http://glaad.org/mediawards - The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their lives. Learn more at http://glaad.org/mediawards
Cher co-presents 2012 GLAAD Media Award to son Chaz Bono
Cher co-presented trans son Chaz Bono with GLAAD's 2012 Stephen F. Kolzak Award Saturday night at the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles
U.S. Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., widow of Sonny Bono, also co-presented the award to Chaz.
Here's a full list of award winners from Saturday night:
- Stephen F. Kolzak Award: Chaz Bono
- Vanguard Award: Josh Hutcherson
- Outstanding Film - Wide Release: Beginners (Focus Features)
- Outstanding Documentary: Becoming Chaz (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)
- Outstanding Comedy Series: Modern Family (ABC)
- Outstanding Individual Episode: "Prom" Drop Dead Diva (Lifetime) and "Beards" Hot in Cleveland (TV Land)
Gay rodeo in Davie attracts straight shooters
BY EILEEN SOLER, SPECIAL TO THE MIAMI HERALD
Stereotypes were crushed under 700-pound bulls Saturday during the Florida Gay Rodeo Association’s Sunshine Stampede in Davie.
“It’s serious competition. . . It’s an exercise in discipline and staying in shape . . . It’s proving I can do it and I am not a sissy,” said competitor and Army veteran Red Hodeo, of Pittsburgh.
There are no lightweights in rodeo — gay or straight, amateur or professional — even among female contestants, said Florida chapter vice president and assistant rodeo director Kole Hillman.
“Anything men can do, so can the women. We are inclusive,” Hillman said.
There, at Bergeron Rodeo Grounds, 90 amateur cowboys and cowgirls are competing through Sunday in rough-and-tumble, human-against-beast competition — whether bull riding or calf roping; barrel racing or pole bending; goat dressing or steer decorating.
'Comet Lovejoy Survives' 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday at 6th Street Dance Studio WholeProject
From Miami dancer Brian Bender:
Brigid Baker and 6th Street Dance Studio WholeProject present Comet Lovejoy Survives from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday.
Obama supports acts targeting school bullying and discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity
From Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor to the president:
Recently, I watched the movie BULLY with my mom. We were both deeply moved by the film and the stories it tells of students, families, and communities impacted by bullying.
Earlier today, we screened BULLY at the White House. We were joined by bullying prevention advocates from a range of communities – LGBT, AAPI, faith, disability, and others – as well as educational partners and key Obama Administration staff who work on these issues every day, including Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Before the film, a panel of nationally recognized experts on bullying prevention spoke from their perspectives about challenges and opportunities, and after the film, we heard from Lee Hirsch, the director and filmmaker, and several of the students and families who were directly impacted by bullying and intolerance and whose stories were featured in the film.
This film is a powerful call to action: We must do everything we can to work toward the day when no young person or family suffers the pain, agony, and loss caused by bulling in our schools and communities.
In the last few years, President Obama and his Administration have taken significant steps towards this goal.
In March of 2010, we held the first-ever White House Conference on Bullying Prevention, attended by both the President and First Lady. The conference brought together students, teachers, advocates, the private sector, and policymakers, to discuss ways to make our schools safer. President Obama explained it this way: “If there’s one goal of this conference, it’s to dispel the myth that bullying is just a harmless rite of passage or an inevitable part of growing up. It’s not.”
The President recorded a video for the It Gets Better Project, and so did the Vice President, Cabinet Secretaries, and members of the White House Staff.
The Department of Education has issued guidance to schools, colleges, and universities, making it clear that existing civil rights laws apply to bullying. Schools have not just a moral responsibility, but a legal responsibility, to protect our young people from harassment. They have also worked with states to help them in their own anti-bullying efforts, and recently released a report that documents key components of anti-bullying laws across all 50 states. And the Department of Education has issued guidance to Governors and state school officials, in order to help them incorporate the best practices for protecting students.
We recently re-launched StopBullying.gov, a website that contains detailed descriptions of the work we’re doing on bullying, along with resources for young people, parents, and educators.
We’ve partnered with businesses, foundations, non-profits, and universities that are coming up with new, creative ways to make our schools safe.
And recently, the Departments of Education and Justice reached a landmark settlement in the Anoka-Hennepin School District after an extensive investigation into bullying and harassment against students who are or are perceived to be LGBT.
These Administrative actions have been critically important – and effective – and we will continue to work across the entire Federal government to address and prevent bullying.
We also hope that Congress will take action to ensure that all students are safe and healthy and can learn in environments free from discrimination, bullying, and harassment by passing the Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA) and the Safe Schools Improvement Act (SSIA). These pieces of legislation are critically important to addressing bullying in our schools and safeguarding our most vulnerable students. The Student Non-Discrimination Act, sponsored by Senator Al Franken of Minnesota, and Representative Jared Polis of Colorado, would prohibit discrimination in public schools against any student on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity. And the Safe Schools Improvement Act, sponsored by Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Representative Linda Sanchez of California, would require school districts to adopt codes of conduct specifically prohibiting bullying and harassment, including on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and religion. I would also like to thank Illinois Representative Danny Davis for his advocacy on this issue. All of our students have the same right to go to school in an environment free of discrimination and harassment, and that’s why the President supports these two important pieces of legislation and wants to work with Congress as they move forward in the process.
Every day, we are striving to do our part to make progress. And I believe that day by day, step by step, we will change not just our laws and policies, but behavior, so that every young person is able to thrive in our schools and communities, without worrying about being bullied.
Here are a few news releases with reaction from national LGBT groups and allies:
Student Non-Discrimination Act and Safe Schools Improvement Act Needed to Address Anti-LGBT Discrimination and Bullying in Schools
WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, today applauded President Obama for announcing his support of the Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA) and the Safe Schools Improvement Act (SSIA).
“The President’s endorsement of the SNDA and SSIA recognizes the importance of providing LGBT students with the same civil rights protections as other students,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “No student should feel scared when walking into their school and these bills would address the discrimination and bullying that our youth have endured for far too long.”
SNDA is sponsored by Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) in the Senate and Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) in the House of Representatives. SNDA would prohibit public elementary and secondary schools from discriminating against any student on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. SSIA is sponsored by Sens. Robert Casey (D-PA) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) in the Senate and by Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) in the House. The bill would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to require schools and districts receiving federal funds to adopt codes of conduct specifically prohibiting bullying and harassment, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. This is the first time the President has expressed his support for either piece of legislation.
Discrimination and bullying against students based on sexual orientation and gender identity contributes to high dropout rates, absenteeism, adverse health consequences and academic underachievement. When left unchecked, such discrimination can lead to, and has led to, dangerous situations for young people. Federal statutory and/or constitutional protections expressly address discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex and disability, but do not expressly address sexual orientation or gender identity. As a result, students and parents have limited legal recourse to redress for discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Despite recent inaccurate criticisms of the bill by Heather Wilson, a Republican running for U.S. Senate in New Mexico, the SNDA does not inhibit constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of speech and expression for individuals and student groups. Language in SNDA recognizes that nothing in the Act alters the legal standards and rights available to individuals or religious and other student groups under the First Amendment and the Equal Access Act. SNDA prohibits discrimination, including severe, persistent or pervasive harassment; it does not prevent an individual or organization from expressing disagreement with an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.
"Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students have long been at a significant disadvantage without specific protection under federal law."
(New York, April 20, 2012) - Today, on GLSENs' National Day of Silence, the White House announced its support of the Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA), and Lambda Legal released the following statement by Hayley Gorenberg, Deputy Legal Director of Lambda Legal:
"We applaud the Obama administration for endorsing this critical piece of legislation. We thank Sen. Al Franken, Rep. Jared Polis, Rep. Barney Frank and Rep. Tammy Baldwin and over 50 other current sponsors for their leadership on this bill and we urge Congress to pass it.
"At Lambda Legal, we've encountered extraordinary cases of violence and discrimination against LGBT young people in schools - and sometimes against the allies who try to support them. The Student Non-Discrimination Act takes a big step toward a safer and healthier environment in every public school.
"Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students have long been at a significant disadvantage without specific protection under federal law. All students have a right to a safe learning environment, and this law will leave no doubt as to public schools' responsibility to provide it."
National Center for Transgender Equality:
Washington, D.C. - In response to President Obama's endorsement of the Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA) and the Safe Schools Improvement Act (SSIA), NCTE Executive Director Mara Keisling said:
"These two safe schools bills are just tremendously important to trans youth and President Obama's endorsement is another example of his broad commitment to trans people and trans issues. We are thankful to Senators Al Franken and Bob Casey and Representatives Jared Polis and Linda Sanchez for their leadership on these issues. According to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, trans and gender nonconforming young people face startling amounts of harassment, assault and sexual violence at school, with more extreme rates of harassment and violence among trans youth of color. Trans kids are hurting and we have a way to stop that. Congress must act quickly to protect our transgender young people."
ACLU:
WASHINGTON – At an event at the White House today, the Obama administration endorsed a crucial bill that would protect LGBT youth from harassment and bullying in schools. The Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA) would protect students from discrimination, including harassment “based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity” in public elementary and secondary schools.
The bill, introduced by Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) in the Senate and Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) in the House, would help to end entrenched biases toward LGBT students in our public education system by filling gaps in our federal civil rights laws.
“Having the White House stand behind the Student Non-Discrimination Act is key to getting this necessary legislation passed into law,” said Ian Thompson, ACLU legislative representative. “Our public schools should be a safe harbor for our youth, not a place of exclusion and ridicule. By passing the Student Non-Discrimination Act, Congress can have a profound and very real impact in improving the lives of LGBT students. It’s time to make passage of this bill a priority.”
NEW YORK - April 20, 2012 - Today, on GLSEN's 17th annual Day of Silence, the White House released the following statement of support for the Safe Schools Improvement Act and the Student Non-Discrimination Act:
“The President and his Administration have taken many steps to address the issue of bullying. He is proud to support the Student Non-Discrimination Act, introduced by Senator Franken and Congressman Polis, and the Safe Schools Improvement Act, introduced by Senator Casey and Congresswoman Linda Sanchez. These bills will help ensure that all students are safe and healthy and can learn in environments free from discrimination, bullying and harassment.”
The following statements are from GLSEN Executive Director Dr. Eliza Byard and GLSEN National Board member Sirdeaner Walker:
"Today's announcement is a vital show of support to students everywhere of all identities, backgrounds and beliefs who face bullying and harassment in school," said Byard. "By speaking out on GLSEN's Day of Silence in support of these two critical bills, the President has given greater hope to students who often feel that they have nowhere to turn. It is deeply moving to know that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students who face the multiple threats of harassment, violence and discrimination have the President as an ally in their efforts to win all of the protections that they deserve."
“Today is a day that I have hoped for since I began my work as an anti-bullying advocate after losing my son Carl," said Walker. "I believe that President Obama’s explicit endorsement of the Safe Schools Improvement Act will make a tremendous difference in moving this issue forward. Having met with the President three times, I knew his support for SSIA and the Student Non-Discrimination Act was genuine. But stating that publicly on GLSEN's Day of Silence pushes it to a whole new level. While nothing can bring Carl back, I know that these bills can make a real difference to end the bullying and harassment that is faced by too many other sons and daughters today.”
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force:
WASHINGTON, April 20 — President Obama today announced his support for the Safe Schools Improvement Act and Student Non-Discrimination Act, federal legislation aimed at combating anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) bullying and discrimination in our nation’s schools. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is working in coalition toward passage of both these critical bills.
Statement by Rea Carey, Executive Director
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force“We thank President Obama for endorsing the Safe Schools Improvement Act and Student Non-Discrimination Act. The epidemic of bullying and discrimination in our nation’s schools is a tragedy and an outrage. No student should fear getting beaten up, harassed and tormented while simply trying to get an education. We have a responsibility to ensure all young people are protected from this pervasive bullying, discrimination and abuse. Parents, educators, policymakers — all of us — need to stand against this unacceptable behavior. The president did that today. We urge him to now help get these life-saving bills through Congress.”
