Sears Launches “Team Up To Stop Bullying”

Sears launches Team Up To Stop Bullying, a first-of-its-kind web portal that connects students, parents, educators and communities to solutions for their bullying problems.

Check out Sears.com/teamup for more information.

Facebook Fights Cyberbullying

Joe.My.God. reports:

Today Facebook launched a new button to report cyberbullying.

The first change is specifically for 13- and 14-year-olds (you have to be at least 13 to sign up for a Facebook account). If a boy in that age range wants to report a mean or threatening post or image a schoolmate has put on Facebook, he can click “This post is a problem” (a new phrase chosen to replace the stiff “Report”) and go through a series of casually worded questions to determine what kind of issue he’s having and how serious it is. There’s even a grid for ranking his emotions.

Once he finishes the questions, a list of suggested actions is generated based on how pressing his complaint is. If the boy is more annoyed than than fearful, he might choose to send a pre-written message to the other person saying that the post makes him uncomfortable. If he is afraid, he will be prompted to get help from a trusted friend or adult. There are links to catch anyone who may be feeling suicidal and direct them to professionals and Facebook’s own suicide chat hotline.

The change comes after Facebook collaborated with psychologists at Yale, Berkeley, and Columbia.

Canada: Ontario Passes Anti-Bullying Bill

Joe.My.God. reports:

Over the screams of the Catholic Church, today the Ontario provincial legislature passed Bill 13, the anti-bullying ordinance that orders all schools to allow gay-straight clubs. Bill 13 was launched after the suicide of a 14 year-old gay boy, whose own father opposed the bill.

Catholic schools and parents will soon come to accept the provisions of the government’s anti-bullying legislation, according to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty. Ontario’s anti-bullying bill, also known as Bill 13 or the Accepting Schools Act, passed through the legislature just before noon today by a margin of 65-36. Only the Progressive Conservatives voted against the legislation. Catholic educators and church leaders oppose the bill because it requires schools to allow students to call anti-homophobia clubs gay-straight alliances if they wish. McGuinty said the issue of protecting kids from bullying transcends all faiths and partisan politics. He added Catholics would understand the true significance of the bill is to build a stronger, more cohesive society.

Conservatives claim the bill is actually meant to cause Ontario to defund non-compliant Catholic schools.

“Moron Of The Week” Inductee Mitt “Magic Underpants” Romney Was A Bully Of Gay Kids, MSNBC Takes On The Topic

USA: Obama Endorses Federal Anti-Bullying Law

Metro Weekly reports:

The White House today announced that President Obama is endorsing the Safe Schools Improvement Act (SSIA) and Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA), two bills pending in Congress to address bullying and discrimination faced by students across the nation.
White House spokesman Shin Inouye tells Metro Weekly, “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 SSIA would amend the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act to include bullying- and harassment-prevention programs, including ones based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The SNDA, modeled after Title IX, would add sexual orientation and gender identity to federal education nondiscrimination law.
[UPDATE @ 6:25P: White House senior advisor Valerie Jarrett, in a blog post, noted today’s news, writing, “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.”
She went on to note the administration’s work to address bullying thus far, then added, “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 news comes, Inouye wrote, as “the White House Office of Public Engagement is holding a screening of the documentary Bully at the White House with bullying prevention advocates from a wide range of communities.”
More than a year ago, the president held the first White House conference dedicated to discussing bullying prevention and sharing ideas and strategies for combating the problem.
Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network executive director Eliza Byard said in a statement, ”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.”
Before today, Inouye and other administration officials had said the administration supported the goals of both of the bills but there was no specific endorsement of either bill. Specifically, Inouye told Metro Weekly in March 2011, “We support the goals of both of these bills. This year, when the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is being considered, we look forward to working with Congress to ensure that all students are safe and healthy and can learn in environments free from discrimination, bullying and harassment.”
When the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee considered the Elementary and Secondary Education Reauthorization Act of 2011, it passed the bill in October 2011 without inclusion of or even a vote on either the SNDA or the SSIA.
The SSIA was reintroduced by Sens. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) the week of the White House bullying conference in 2011 and currently has 38 co-sponsors. The House version, introduced the next month by Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.), currently has 147 co-sponsors. The SNDA, meanwhile, was reintroduced by Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) the week of the bullying conference in 2011. The House bill has 157 co-sponsors, and the Senate version has 37 co-sponsors. 
Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese said in a statement, “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. 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.”
Regarding the SNDA, the American Civil Liberties Union, which has strongly pressed the bill, called the development “key.”
“Having the White House stand behind the Student Non-Discrimination Act is key to getting this necessary legislation passed into law,” Ian Thompson, ACLU legislative representative, said in a statement. “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.”
The news comes as the White House has faced blistering criticism — from LGBT advocatesto The Washington Post editorial board — for Obama’s decision not to pursue an executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating against employees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. 
Today’s endorsement also comes one day after The Huffington Post’s Amanda Terkelreported on New Mexico U.S. Senate candidate Heather Wilson’s comments criticizing the SNDA.

South Park’s New Anti-Bullying Anthem

Ellen (@TheEllenShow) Talks Bully And Chats With The Family That The Film Features

I often talk about my junior and high school years. I’ve kept may friends from those days, and I often call those stages in my life the best ones of my childhood. But the dark stage for me was elementary school. I hated it. Fortunately my school took responsibility, and I’ve gotta thank them for having done the right thing. I don’t want to think of what would’ve happened if they hadn’t intervene. Definitely the schools are the ones that can make the difference, to avoid such tragic ends. 

Trailer: Bully

This documentary has been just rated as PG-13, making it impossible to reach out to an adolescent audience.

TENNESSEE: High School Student Commits Suicide After Anti-Gay Bullying

WSMV reports:

Students at a local school are grieving a classmate. Friends say the young man took his own life because he couldn’t take any more bullying.
And they say school officials knew about the torment but didn’t do enough to stop it.
Friends say that kids bullied Jacob Rogers 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, he ended his life.
“He started coming home his senior year saying ‘I don’t want to go back. Everyone is so mean. They call me a f****, they call me gay, a queer,’” friend Kaelynn Mooningham said.
Kaelynn said her friend Jacob felt ignored.
“Jacob told me no one was helping him. He constantly was going to guidance,” she said.
But Cheatham County Schools Director Dr. Tim Webb said the school was only aware of one incident of bullying.
“She actually intervened and called the students in accused of bullying or picking. She called them in, talked to them and gave them warnings. Subsequently after that, she ran into the student and asked him if things were better and he indicated that things were better,” Webb said.
But Kaelynn knows that Jacob wasn’t OK. Things were still so bad around Thanksgiving that he ultimately quit going to school.
“No one would listen and stand up for him,” she said.
Brentwood attorney Larry Crane has worked on several cases involving bullying where schools failed to do enough.
“Federal government is taking a closer look at these cases,” he said.
And now, those like Kaelynn are wondering when is enough, finally enough?
“It just doesn’t have to make sense. How many kids have to die before Cheatham does something,” she said.
Kaelynn says Jacob lived with his grandmother who primarily took care of him. She found a couple notes that Jacob left for her. In those notes Jacob left passwords to his email and his phone so investigators could determine why he chose to kill himself.
As for Cheatham Central, counselors will be on hand again Thursday for grieving classmates.
Friends of Jacob’s family say they likely don’t have enough money to hold a funeral. Donations for a funeral are being accepted at Sandman’s Ink Shop, a local tattoo shop in Ashland City.

Well, the article doesn’t say if indeed he was gay. But nonetheless, this tragedy keeps on going with kids that are perceived as such. 

RELATED: As you might have noticed, Jacob’s family seemed they didn’t have the money for a proper funeral, so the good news is that in less than three hours, the readers of Joe.My.God., Towleroad & The Stranger have raised enough money (over $9,000 USD) to meet the necessary amount to pay off Jacob’s funeral expenses. According to Dan Savage, $5,000 USD was the goal, so that amount will be given to Jacob’s family, and the rest (as first mentioned by Dan himself before the fundraising started) will be split even between The Trevor Project, GLSEN, the ACLU’s LGBT Youth Project & the It Gets Better Project.

The Teen Suicide Epidemic In Michele Bachmann’s District

Mother Jones reports:

The first was TJ. Then came Samantha, Aaron, Nick, and Kevin. Over the past two years, a total of nine teenagers have committed suicide in a Minnesota school district represented by Rep. Michele Bachmann—the latest in May—and many more students have attempted to take their lives. State public health officials have labeled the area a “suicide contagion area” because of the unusually high death rate.
Some of the victims were gay, or perceived to be by their classmates, and many were reportedly bullied. And the anti-gay activists who are some of the congresswoman’s closest allies stand accused of blocking an effective response to the crisis and fostering a climate of intolerance that allowed bullying to flourish. Bachmann, meanwhile, has been uncharacteristically silent on the tragic deaths that have roiled her district—including the high school that she attended.
Bachmann, who began her political career as an education activist, has described gay rights as an “earthquake issue,” and she and her allies have made public schools the front lines of their fight against the “homosexual agenda.” They have opposed efforts in the state to promote tolerance for gays and lesbians in the classroom, seeing such initiatives as a way of allowing gays to recruit impressionable youths into an unhealthy and un-Christian lifestyle.

To read the full article, click here.

CNN On Minnesota Bullying Battle

Four Wrestlers Bully Their Teammate With Brand New Secret Weapon: Their Dicks

Queerty reports:

Four members of Wisconsin’s Lincoln High School state championship wrestling team got charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct this week for allegedly sexually harassing a 15-year-old teammate by repeatedly trying to touch him with their dicks. Oddly, they’re probably straight.

• A 15-year-old boy told cops about his Lincoln High School teammates “dancing around him while they are naked, swinging their penises at him,” according to a criminal complaint based on an investigation by Wisconsin Rapids Police Department officers.
• The freshman wrestler told cops that he was harassed “about five to ten times” during the season, and that “during some of those occasions he was hit by each of their penises on his leg.” Additionally, he told of one incident in the shower when a teammate “placed his penis on [victim’s] butt.” The boy added that he “could not get away because he was boxed in by two other wrestlers.”
• On another occasion, the victim said that he “had to climb into a locker” to prevent being hit in the face by the penis of another wrestler.

A lot of people don’t know that most incidents of male-on-male sexual harassment actually occur because of a straight guys who want to intimidate and belittle their peers. Their aggressive “penis tag” sounds curiously like last year’s “ball tapping” game—such games are all about humiliation, not sex.

IRELAND: New Anti-Bullying Campaign

White House Tackles Bullying