Author: Brett

David Gorshein ‘It Gets Better” on Cable, with Commercials

Brett

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-gorshein/it-gets-better-mtv_b_1294812.html

I have long admired Dan Savage’s advice, especially to struggling queers. Like Kate Bornstein’s advice to Teens, Freaks and Other Outlaws, Savage’s advice inspires me to keep in mind the invisible struggles of non-conformers. I have also found daily inspiration in the viral responses to Savage’s (and Terry Miller’s) “It Gets Better” campaign. It is revolutionary and empowering to watch videos on demand in which, as Chris Rovzar wrote in 2010 in New York Magazine, “grown-ups … tell gay kids that things will be easier in the future, when they are out of school, or when they are simply older and more comfortable with who they are.”

While the “It Gets Better” campaign initially intended to represent happy and adjusted older queers to struggling younger queers, the campaign evolved to encourage anyone to tell a struggling person that the future will be easier and more fun than the present. Since its inception, more than 40,000 videos have been uploaded onto the “It Gets Better” archive. Many videos feature the confessional testimonies of celebrities such as Ellen DeGeneres, politicians such as President Obama, and institutions such as Google and UCLA.

Anoka Hennepin Official Now Acknowledges Bullying as a Factor in Teen Suicides

Brett

http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2012/02/anoka-hennepin-official-now-acknowledges-bullying-as-a-factor-in-teen-suicides/

COON RAPIDS, Minn. — Just weeks after denouncing a Rolling Stone article on bullying and teen suicide as a “brutal and distorted attack,” the Superintendent of the Anoka-Hennepin School District in suburban Minneapolis now says “there can be no doubt that in many situations bullying is one of the contributing factors” to suicide.

The statement by Superintendent Dennis Carlson, published on the school district’s website, contrasts sharply with a December 2010 voice message to district employees in which Carlson said, “Based on all of the information we have been able to gather none of the suicides were connected to incidents of bullying or harassment.”

Carlson said the letter was intended to help bring healing to the beleaguered district that is the subject of a federal probe and two lawsuits filed by six students for alleged “disregard of bullying in schools” under the district’s former “neutrality” policy.

Q&A Adoption for the Single Gay Man

Brett

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/02/24/interview-adoption-for-the-single-gay-man/

As part of LGBT Adoption and Fostering Week, PinkNews.co.uk talks to one gay man about his experiences of adopting as a single parent.

Gay men and women across the UK are being invited to attend an event in the country’s first-ever LGBT Adoption and Fostering Week which is currently running nationally.

Paul, not his real name, is a teacher based in England who adopted a daughter.

PinkNews.co.uk put some questions to him this week about his experience of the process.

Dharun Ravi Trial: Jurors Chosen for Case of Alleged Spying on Tyler Clementi

Brett

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/23/dharun-ravi-trial-tyler-clementi-jury-selection_n_1297091.html?ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay%20Voices&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000008

The trial of Dharun Ravi, the New Jersey man charged with spying on his college roommate, is gearing up as jury selection was expected to finish today.

Ravi faces 10 years in prison if convicted on a slew of charges stemming from his use of a webcam to watch Tyler Clementi, his freshman roommate at Rutgers, in an intimate encounter with a man. Clementi, a talented violinist, jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge in September 2010, days after Ravi allegedly told friends on Twitter that it appeared Clementi planned a second tryst.

Ravi was not charged in Clementi’s death, but the details surrounding the case sparked a national debate on anti-gay bias, cyber bullying and privacy in the age of social media, thrusting Ravi’s trial into the spotlight.

A jury of 16 people will decide if Ravi, who turns 20 on Tuesday, is guilty of 15 charges, including bias intimidation, witness tampering and invasion of privacy, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

‘Am I Ugly?’ Videos: Young Teens Ask YouTube Users Whether They’re Pretty or Not

Brett

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/21/am-i-ugly-or-pretty-videos-youtube-teens_n_1292113.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

“People say I’m ugly. So … tell me — am I?”

A young girl stares earnestly, and perhaps a bit awkwardly, into the camera asking the world wide web of YouTube users to comment on her appearance. With 35,000 views and nearly 1,200 comments, her video is just one small piece in what seems to be a growing trend of teen and “tween” (between the ages of 11 and 13) girls taking to the Internet to broadcast concerns about their looks — and asking strangers to weigh in on these insecurities.

Without Treatment, Mental Health Problems Plague Transgender Kids

Brett

http://www.livescience.com/16110-transgender-teen-mental-health.html

Kids who are distressed because they feel their physical body doesn’t match their gender suffer from high rates of psychiatric symptoms, such as depression and suicide attempts, a new study finds.

In a sample of children and adolescents treated at the Endocrine Division at Children’s Hospital Boston, young people who experienced distress about the “mismatch” between their body’s sex and their mental gender had high rates of psychiatric complications (before any gender treatment). Kids who don’t get treatment, whether for financial reasons or because their parents aren’t supportive, likely have higher rates of psychiatric problems, said study researcher Scott Leibowitz, a psychiatrist at Children’s Hospital Boston.

Robert Rodriguez, P.Diddy, Magic Johnson, Said Schwartz Begin Four New Minority-Owned Indie Networks with Comcast

Brett

http://www.deadline.com/2012/02/robert-rodriguez-p-diddy-magic-johnson-said-schwartz-begin-4-new-minority-owned-indie-networks-with-comcast/

PHILADELPHIA, PA – February 21, 2012 – Comcast Corporation today announced it has selected four new minority-owned independent networks to be broadly distributed on Comcast Cable systems between April 2012 and January 2014. After a thorough evaluation of more than 100 proposals, Comcast selected four networks ― two of which are majority African-American owned and two that are majority American Hispanic owned and operated and programmed in English.

“We are thrilled to work with such talented individuals to launch these new networks that will bring exciting and fresh content to consumers,” said David L. Cohen, Executive Vice President, Comcast Corporation. “Comcast is committed to delivering programming that reflects the interests of our customers, and we look forward to integrating these great networks into our rich programming line-up.”

Family Support a Major Weapon Against Suicide Among Gay Youth

Brett

Family support a major weapon against suicide among gay youth

Being a teenager can be difficult. The progression from childhood to adulthood involves negotiating the difficult gauntlet of peer pressure, trying to fit in among people who aren’t entirely sure of themselves, all while dealing with raging hormones.

Few people escape the teen years without emotional scars.

Not surprisingly, suicide is a major adolescent health concern – in fact, it’s the third major cause of death among U.S. teens, after unintentional injury and homicide. Those numbers are even higher for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) teens.

A study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine sought to determine the risk factors and protective factors for LGBT teens and suicide, finding that love and acceptance by family and friends are key suicide preventive factors.

“A major risk factor for suicide among these young people is to have experienced some kind of victimization regarding their sexuality,” said lead author Brian Mustanski, associate professor of medical social sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg Schoool of Medicine. “Victimization can include bullying, destruction of property, and name calling.”

Local News Investigates the “Hidden Crisis’: Kids Put Out ‘Like Trash’ Just for Being Gay

Brett

There are approximately 1.6 million to 2.8 million homeless young people in the United States and a disproportionate number — 20 to 40 percent — are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. LGBT youth often run away from home because of family conflict and then “face overt discrimination when seeking alternative housing, which is compounded by institutionalized discrimination in federally funded programs.”

Last night, a local CBS affiliate in Miami, Florida offered an in-depth look into the crisis of LGBT youth homelessness and the children who are put out “like trash” by parents who refuse to accept them:

Why the Gay Teen Suicide Rate in the Anoka-Hennepin School District is Highest in the US

Brett

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-fast/why-the-gay-suicide-rate-_b_1105992.html

This summer two lawsuits were filed on behalf of six students in Minnesota’s Anoka-Hennepin school district. The students had endured “slurs, were stabbed with pencils, shoved into walls and lockers, punched, called names and urinated on by classmates because of real or perceived sexual orientation,” according to the Star Tribune.

Eight students in that district have committed suicide in the last two years. (Many school districts go for decades without any suicides.) Classmates of the deceased believe that half the students were gay or questioning. The number may be more. LGBQT students attempt suicide two to four times as frequently as other teens, according to the CDC.