Note: Video included.
NOTE The following text is a quote:
www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/10/21/president-obama-it-gets-better
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President Obama: It Gets Better
Posted by Brian Bond on October 21, 2010 at 11:30 PM EDT
Recently, several young people have taken their own lives after being bullied for being gay – or perceived as being gay – by their peers. Their deaths are shocking and heartbreaking tragedies. No one should have to endure relentless harassment or tormenting. No one should ever feel so alone or desperate that they feel they have nowhere to turn. We each share a responsibility to protect our young people. And we also have an obligation to set an example of respect and kindness, regardless of our differences.
This is personal to me. When I was a young adult, I faced the jokes and taunting that too many of our youth face today, and I considered suicide as a way out. But I was fortunate. One of my co-workers recognized that I was hurting, and I soon confided in her. She cared enough to push me to seek help. She saved my life. I will always be grateful for her compassion and support – the same compassion and support that so many kids need today.
In the wake of these terrible tragedies, thousands of Americans have come together to share their stories of hope and encouragement for LGBT youth who are struggling as part of the It Gets Better Project. Their messages are simple: no matter how difficult or hopeless life may seem when you’re a young person who’s been tormented by your peers or feels like you don’t fit in: life will get better.
President Obama is committed to ending bullying, harassment and discrimination in all its forms in our schools and communities. That’s why he recorded this message.
Last year, the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services joined forces with four other departments to create a federal task force on bullying. In August 2010, the task force staged the first-ever National Bullying Summit, bringing together 150 top state, local, civic, and corporate leaders to begin mapping out a national plan to end bullying. The task force also launched a new website, www.bullyinginfo.org, which brings all the federal resources on bullying together in one place for the first time ever.
If you’re a young person who’s been bullied or harassed by your peers, or you’re a parent or teacher who knows a young person being bullied or harassed, here are a few resources that can help you:
The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project is determined to end suicide among LBGTQ youth by providing resources and a nationwide, 24 hour hotline. If you are considering suicide or need help, call: 866-4-U-TREVOR (866-488-7386).
BullyingInfo.org
BullyingInfo.org is a project of the Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs (IWGYP) focused on providing tools and resources for youth, parents, teachers and mental health providers to prevent and address bullying.
It Gets Better Project
President Obama’s video is just one of thousands of videos submitted by people across the country to inspire and encourage LGBT youth who are struggling. You can watch more videos at ItGetsBetterProject.com.
For even more information and resources visit:
Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
Matthew Shepard Foundation
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)
A transcript of the President’s video is here.
Brian Bond is Deputy Director of the Office of Public Engagement
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Quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2539930/posts
Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Department of Justice’s 2010 Lesbian, Gay...
justice.gov - ag - speech ^ | June 21, 2010 | n/a
Posted on June 23, 2010 1:54:12 AM PDT by Cindy
NOTE The following text is a quote:
www.justice.gov/ag/speeches/2010/ag-speech-100621.html
Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Department of Justice’s 2010 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month Program
Washington, D.C. ~ Monday, June 21, 2010
Good morning. Thank you, Chris [Hook], for your kind words and for all the work that you, Marc [Salans], the Board of DOJ Pride and our EEO staff team have done in organizing today’s ceremony. It’s a pleasure to join Tom [Perez] in welcoming so many members of the Justice Department family, and so many distinguished guests, here today as we commemorate LGBT Pride Month. I’m glad that Senator [Amy] Klobuchar and Director [John] Clark are with us. And I want to congratulate Chris [Hook] and this year’s other award recipients, Councilmember [David] Catania and Attorney General [Doug] Gansler, on their achievements and contributions. I also want to thank our keynote speakers – Jenny Durkan, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington, and Sharon Lubinski, U.S. Marshal for the District of Minnesota – for sharing their thoughts and stories with us and for providing an example of service for us all.
We have much to celebrate today. In the year since we last gathered, our nation – and the Justice Department – have taken steps to address some of the unique challenges faced by members of our country’s LGBT community. As you all know, up until last fall, there was not a single line in the nearly 225-year history of the U.S. Code that referred explicitly to gender identity. Today, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act – which the President signed into law last October – does just that, finally protecting our nation’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered individuals from the most brutal forms of bias-motivated violence.
In another important development, in April of this year, the Justice Department concluded that the Violence Against Women Act covers, and more importantly protects, same sex partners. And, just several weeks ago, as part of the department’s, and the Administration’s, commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion, I announced a new Diversity Management Plan and the appointment of Channing Phillips as Deputy Associate Attorney General for Diversity. With this initiative, and with Channing’s leadership, we’re working to ensure that the Department can effectively recruit, hire, retain, and develop a workforce that reflects our nation’s rich diversity, a Department that welcomes and encourages the contributions of its LGBT employees.
I’m grateful for the assistance and guidance that so many of you have given. Our progress would not have been possible without your contributions. And while we have meaningful achievements to celebrate today, we must remember how much more work we have to do to transform today’s opportunities into tomorrow’s successes. Too many of the challenges that confronted the LGBT community 16 years ago – when DOJ Pride was founded – confront us still today. Too many of the same obstacles that existed then remain for us to overcome. Too many talented men and women cannot, in the words of this year’s motto, “serve openly, with pride.”
With your help and engagement, we’re working to ensure that the Justice Department lives up to its responsibility to provide a work environment where every employee is respected and given an equal opportunity to thrive. That’s the goal we share and the achievement we’ll keep working toward - together.
Thank you.
He’s speaking from personal experience as a “gay” American.
I do care if people, gay or straight, kill themselves. But I do not feel ‘outreach’ efforts like this are productive. I think these particular outreach efforts are emphasized in order to portray straight people inherently abusive and in need of restraint.
I think time and effort would be better spent on the mental health of the general population. I think people with big problems or those without conscience end up bullying anyone they see as disenfranchised (race, religion, gay, straight, rich, poor, homeless). I don’t think ‘waiting’ until some kid is ready to kill himself to turn him toward ‘adults who care’ is wise. I think we need to concern ourselves with the causes of abusive people etc. Like broken homes, child abuse, sexual abuse of children etc. I just read a statistic today that I’ve never encountered before. 32% of children who are sexually abused are abused by homosexuals. That is 10% higher than than the prevalence of gays in the population. Gays are 10 times more likely to sexually abuse children than are heterosexuals. Attacking all forms of child abuse (sexual, psychological, neglect etc.) would do more to reduce drug abuse, suicidality, teenage pregnancy, divorce etc. than coming late to the game where individuals are ‘giving up’ (homeless, gays, straights, other groups who kill themselves)and telling them to ‘talk to someone’. Stronger development of morality, reducing psychological damage in children, reducing criminality etc. is needed. I just read FReeper post today re: Kinsey Institute. A woman who grew up during Kinsey’s heyday says Kinsey paid her father to rape her and provide Kinsey with detailed reporting data. Kinsey’s data on child sexuality has to have been gleened from infants and children involved in sex. How can this kind of pedophilia exist and just what kind of a society do we expect to have if we tolerate it? Think some of those children who were passed around a group of perverts in order to ‘support research’ had happy psychological lives or maybe some of them were...I dunno....suicidal eventually? If we are going to highlight gay victimization over other forms of victimization than we must address things like the 32% rate of child abuse due to homosexual abusers.
So, we now have a Mentally Ill person with a history of self admitted Cocaine use access to our Nuclear Codes?
Just askin...
As a person who lost a loved one to suicide, I’m breaking ranks here: I give credit to anyone who helps or encourages someone in pain. I tried for 20 years to stop the inevitable and then one day, when I was distracted by a difficult work problem, he was gone.
I’m not questioned anyone’s motives, I’m thankful and hoping that the President can save one or more people.
Pray for anyone who is in pain.
I could only watch about 10 seconds before I started to get physically ill.
Homosexuality never “gets better.” Rather, statistics and hard facts show that it is a road to disease and early death.
Dear mr. prez bamster ,,, My version of happiness is seeing you destroyed in the next presidential election and you think I deserve it makes me even happier .
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/president-obama-sends-pro-gay-video-mess
“Obama Records Pro-Gay Video Message for Youth”
Monday, October 25, 2010
By Michael W. Chapman
It only gets better when my eyes refocus and read the trailer to the Obama Administration was directed by J.J. Abrams. Then it starts to make sense.