Feds To Hold Bullying Hearings

Submit your personal accounts of anti-gay bullying here.

TN State GOP Rep. Stacey Campfield Defends His "Don't Say Gay" Bill

UNRELATED: Once again we thank JMG reader Dave Evans, our devoted video clipper who scours the networks for LGBT-related news items. You folks would never see many of these segments were it not for Dave's hard work at funneling them to us here.

It's OK To Be Takei

(Via - Buzzfeed)

Fox News: California's LGBT Education Bill Is Lying Propaganda

INDIANA: University Students Continue Battle To Boot Chick-Fil-A Off Campus

Michael Jones reports at Change.org:

"Students impacted by the continued presence of Chick-fil-A on campus have come forward today to file formal discrimination complaints within the Judicial Affairs office of the university against the university's Chancellor, Una Mae Reck," said Jason Moreno, a student at IUSB and a spokesperson for the Civil Rights Student Association. "Chancellor Reck has continued to proactively purchase goods from this vendor for the purpose of resale on campus despite all evidence proving the damage it causes the students she's charged to protect. These purchases aren't automatic, but rather she's making the conscious decision to do this every week on her own authority and of her own volition, with full knowledge of the overwhelming evidence that shows she's participating in the promotion of discrimination.”

South Bend's ABC affiliate filed the below report.

Creation Institute: Teaching Evolution Leads To Homosexual Indoctrination

"From the patriarchal days of Sodom and Gomorrah to the Law of Moses to the New Testament, God’s Word consistently declares that homosexuality is sin and warns of the condemnation it brings to the individuals who practice it and to societies that promote it. Indeed, the rampant teaching of evolution in our schools that is effectively undermining belief in God and absolute moral standards is not only creating an atmosphere of 'tolerance' for homosexuality, but for just about anything.

"As the truism goes, 'Without God, everything is permissible.' So, in reality, there’s nothing to prevent the same rationale being used today to justify homosexuality and homosexual marriage from being used tomorrow to sanction polygamy or pedophilia or, as one very honest evolutionist wrote a while back (a piece that quickly disappeared from public view), if evolution is true, then rape is a very valid and/or efficient way for a man to spread his genes. After all, why not? It’s the survival of the fittest. Of course, in a purely evolutionary world, homosexuals would naturally be bred out of existence, as well. But you won’t hear that from pro-evolution advocates." - Tom DeRosa, executive director of the Creation Studies Institute.

MSNBC On "Don't Say Gay" Bill

Once again, MSNBC's midday team gives the proper attention and reaction to an issue involving LGBT youth.

TENNESSEE: "Don't Say Gay" Education Bill Passes State Senate Committee

Tennessee's state Senate Judiciary Committee has approved a bill banning the mention of homosexuality in public schools prior to the ninth grade. Such a bill could derail any potential lessons on anti-gay bullying. The law is the pet project of state Sen. Stacey Campfield (left), who has introduced it six years in a row.

As introduced, the bill would have put into law a declaration that it is illegal to discuss any sexual behavior other than heterosexuality prior to the ninth grade. But when it came before the Senate Education Committee, Sen. Jim Tracy, R-Shelbyville, contended current law already prohibits such instruction by deeming it a misdemeanor to teach any sex education that is not part of the "family life curriculum" adopted by the state Board of Education. Tracy proposed an amendment to rewrite Campfield's bill to require the Board of Education to study the issue and determine whether any teaching about homosexuality is occurring and, if so, recommend what should be done about it. Campfield contends homosexuality is being discussed in classrooms. Spokesmen for the Board of Education and the state Department of Education told the committee they are unaware of any such activity. The Tracy amendment passed over Campfield's objections.

MSNBC Interviews Author Of Oregon Study On LGBT Teen Suicide Rate

NEW JERSEY: Roommate Charged With Hate Crime In Suicide Of Rutgers Student

The roommate of Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi (left) was today indicted on hate crime charges stemming from the secret webcasting of Clementi having sex with another man. Clementi leaped from the George Washington Bridge last year after learning about the broadcast.

Dharun Ravi, a former Rutgers University student, was indicted on 15 counts including charges of invasion of privacy, bias intimidation and tampering with evidence by a grand jury in Middlesex County, N.J. Prosecutors allege that not only did Ravi invade Clementi's privacy, but he tried to cover it up. Both Ravi and his alleged accomplice, former Rutgers student Molly Wei, are accused of filming Clementi during a "sexual encounter" in his dorm room with a man and then streaming it live on the Internet. Evidence against Wei has not yet been presented to a grand jury. Prosecutors allege that on Sept. 19 of last year, Ravi filmed Clementi with the purpose of intimidating him because of his sexual orientation. Ravi "disclosed a photograph, film, videotape, recording or other reproduction of the image of [Clementi]...whose intimate parts were exposed," the indictment reads. When Ravi became worried about being charged with a crime, he sent false tweets in an attempt "to mislead a public servant who was engaged in such proceeding or investigation," the indictment reads.

Clementi's parents have released a statement applauding today's charges.

Gay Kids In Supportive Communities Have Lower Rates Of Suicide Attempts

A new study out of Oregon indicates that gay kids that grow up in a supportive environment are 20% less likely to attempt suicide. We knew this, of course, but now there's some science behind it.

About 1400 -- or between 4 and 5 percent -- of teens surveyed identified themselves as being gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Of those students, almost 22 kids out of every hundred said they had attempted suicide in the past year. That compared to about 4 of every hundred teens who identified as straight and said they had attempted suicide. Suicide attempts were more common in LGB teens who reported being depressed and binge drinking, as well as those who had been victimized by their peers or physically abused by an adult. But even accounting for all those factors, teens' social environment made a difference too. Those who lived in counties that scored poorly on measures of social environment were about 20 percent more likely to have attempted suicide than teens from high-scoring social environments.

Factors that positively affect the gay teen suicide rate: "Teens living in counties with a high proportion of gay and lesbian couples, and those who went to schools with gay-straight alliances and anti-discrimination policies." An abstract of the study is here, subscription is required to read the full report.

Eagle Forum: ASU Promotes Communism

According to the deep thinkers at Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum, Arizona State's new school logo is promoting communism.

The Sun Devils of ASU are gearing up for this year’s football season with redesigned uniforms and logos. The school is promoting this greatly anticipated change with several YouTube videos. Several of these videos end with an image of a clenched fist. After a second or two, the fist lifts three fingers, turning into the Sun Devil’s “pitchfork” hand-symbol. The raised fist is a symbol of socialism, communism, and other extreme left-wing organizations, according to Wikipedia, It was first used as the emblem of the Red Front Fighter’s League of the Communist Party of Germany in 1932 and has since been used by groups such as the Black Panther Party and the Socialist Workers Party of the UK. Why would ASU choose to put a symbol representing left-wing organizations at the end of a video promoting its football team? Will this symbol be used to express the Sun Devil's team spirit or will it continue to communicate its traditional leftist message on the ASU campus?

MSNBC On CA's Gay Education Bill

MassResistance On The Day Of Silence

The SPLC-certified hate group MassResistance has today published the below editorial on at least a dozen right-wing sites and blogs.

Welcome students. Today is the big day. Today is your chance to take a stand against the forces of bigotry and homophobia that unfairly targets our brothers, sisters and others in the gay, lesbian, transgendered, bisexual and gender optional community. By your very presence here, you signify your complete acceptance and approval of alternative lifestyles, sex on demand and the right of all to engage in whatever sexual practices feel good at the moment. You should be proud. And you may all now officially consider yourself enlightened. And empowered. I want to thank all of you for not bowing down to the fanatical and intolerant Christians who hate sex. I want to acknowledge your bravery, tolerance and dedication to the concept of gender neutrality and the right of every man, woman and others to choose whichever sexual orientation they prefer. [snip]

Because this is a national day of silence, I'd like to suggest some excellent visual opportunities. I have several tubes of lipstick for any of you guys out there. Having you boys wear lipstick is a great way to banish the remaining stereotypes of manly men. For you gals, we have these cute buttons with pictures of manly women and effeminate men. (Yes, Henry, you can have both lipstick and a button.) I'd like to thank all of you for your support. I'd also like to stress that your participation in this momentous event is mandatory. We'd appreciate it if you didn't mention this to your parents. Believe it or not, some parents would object. I know, I know. But take heart in the fact that pretty soon they'll see the light. NAMBLA has a table right over there that offers lots of good information that should come in handy should you need to educate your parents.

Read the full hate manifesto.

CALIFORNIA: Gay Ed Bill Passes In Senate

California's education bill requiring that notable LGBT people be positively portrayed in textbooks was passed yesterday by the state Senate.

If the bill is adopted by the state Assembly and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, California would become the first state to require the teaching of gay history. Supporters say the move is needed to counter anti-gay stereotypes and beliefs that make children in those groups vulnerable to bullying and suicide. Opponents counter that such instruction would further burden an already crowded curriculum and expose students to a subject that some parents find objectionable. The legislation, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Mark Leno of San Francisco, passed on a 23-14 party line vote. It also would add disabled people to the curriculum. The bill gives school districts flexibility in deciding what to include in the lessons and at what grades students would receive them. But starting in the 2013-14 school year, it would prohibit districts and the California Board of Education from using textbooks or other instructional materials that reflect adversely on gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.

As I've noted here several times, the bill is vehemently opposed by anti-gay groups.

PhoboQuotable - Randy Thomasson

"School administrators have frequently denied sponsoring, participating in, or allowing the 'Day of Silence,' but are nonetheless allowing students to be silent without consequences. Even some teachers will 'go silent,' writing pro-homosexuality messages on boards, and setting up classroom displays to teach impressionable children that aggressive homosexual activists are 'victims,' that more laws promoting their agenda are needed, when there are already numerous laws prohibiting physical harassment of students; and that homosexuality is natural and healthy, when it is actually unnatural and unhealthy.

"Parents who are hearing about 'Day of Silence' are appalled this immoral takeover is happening. They don't want their children subjected to in-your-face sexual indoctrination, so they're keeping their kids home. Because school districts are allowing this brainwashing during the entire school day, morally-sensitive parents are counter-protesting by removing both their child and the child's ADA funding on Friday." - Randy Thomasson of Save California, in a press release that includes links to NARTH.

Focus On The Family Explains How To Harass LGBT Kids On "Day Of Dialogue"

Focus On The Family's Stuart Shephard hosts anti-gay activist Candi Cushman and her ratty hairpiece to explain how Christianist students are going to harass LGBT kids in the loving name of Jeebus. The Focus-sponsored "Day Of Dialogue" is this Monday. Up until last year, this annual bashing-fest was run by the "ex-gay" liars at Exodus International.

UNC Hate Crime Report was False

UPDATE: The story I reported early this morning has been revealed to be false. I should have listened to my gut before posting it.

A UNC-Chapel Hill freshman who told police he was attacked by a man who burned his hand and called him an anti-gay slur made a false report, the university says. In a message just released to the campus community, Chancellor Holden Thorp says: "The Department of Public Safety has determined that the alleged aggravated assault reported to campus last night did not occur. That report, filed with campus police on April 5, was false. The University will not report it as a hate crime." "It is important to recognize that incidents of harassment do occur," Thorp continued. "When they do, we take them seriously. We strive to foster a welcoming, inclusive and safe environment at Carolina.

ORIGINAL POST

A University of North Carolina freshman was attacked last week by a man he says severely burned his wrist with an unknown object.

As the freshman took a walk on South Campus at about 3 a.m. on April 4, he said he ran into an acquaintance on the Craige Residence Hall footbridge. As the two spoke, a man sitting at a nearby picnic table stood up and grabbed him by the wrist, he said. “Here’s a taste of hell you f—-ing fag,” Matney remembered the man saying. The man branded Matney, who is gay, on the left wrist with an unidentified object, causing third- and fourth-degree burns that damaged three nerves and a tendon, leaving the freshman with no feeling in his thumb and limited mobility in his index finger, he said.

The attacked student says he escaped after punching his assailant. UNC plans to report the attack as a hate crime to the federal government.

NOTE: The URL for this post contains the original untrue claim.

PFOX "Ex-Gays" To Hand Out Lying Propaganda On Day Of Silence

The "ex-gays" at PFOX are asking students, parents, and teachers to distribute their brochures during this week's Day Of Silence. Because since the pro-gay kids will be silent, they can't complain.

"We invite schools to distribute our ex-gay brochures year round," said Regina Griggs, PFOX's executive director, "but this Friday is especially important because it is considered a 'day of silence' by homosexual school clubs. This means that members of gay student clubs and their allies will purposely remain silent all day in school to protest intolerance against homosexuals and cross-dressers." "Because homosexual activists try to censor the ex-gay point of view, PFOX asks students to distribute ex-gay literature to their friends in support of equality for the ex-gay community," said Griggs. "The day of silence enables students to distribute ex-gay literature without harassment since opponents are obligated to remain silent that day."

SAN FRANCISCO: Parents Complain About Student Field Trip To The Castro

As you might expect, this story is all over the wingnut blogs this week.

While the majority of the second-grade parents were in support of the field trip, the school is under fire by a handful of parents* who questioned whether the Castro is an appropriate destination for 8-year-old boys. One parent in particular reached out to SFGate and expressed frustration, anxiety, and confusion around the field trip, as well as a complex array of sentiments ranging from disapproval of teachers who told students that the word gay means "happy," to fears that the Castro community would be unwelcoming to children.