Posted on 01/05/2011 9:30:34 AM PST by markomalley
The U.S. Justice Department went into a public high school on Tuesday with a message for students: If you’re “different,” if you’re gay, and if you’re being bullied – don’t feel alone, don’t be ashamed, and don’t hesitate to call on the federal government for help if your school doesn’t stop the bullying.
“If you have been targeted for harassment or bullying because of your sexual orientation, because of your gender identity or expression, or simply because your classmates see you as different, I am here to tell you that the Civil Rights Division will not stand for it,” Tom Perez, the assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, told students at James Hubert Blake High School in Silver Spring, Md.
As part of the event – sponsored by the school’s administration and its gay-straight alliance – Perez played a videotape in which mostly gay and lesbian Civil Rights Division employees (and one who identified herself as intersex) shared their stories of being bullied at school. They also offered supportive messages to those who are being bullied now:
“You do have allies -- we are here for you,” one Civil Rights Division employee says in the video.
“If you can find some hope in the fact that you have a whole community of people out here – people who you’ve never met, and we’ve never met you, but we think of you and care about you and want you to be safe and want you to be happy,” another employee says.
“Being different is cool,” another employee says.
“When I was in grade school and high school, I was bullied. But now I prosecute bullies,” says yet another employee.
“Don’t be ashamed of who you are, just keep on being yourself.”
The video was produced by the Civil Rights Division staff for submission to the national “It Gets Better” Project, which was launched after a string of suicides of homosexual students who reportedly had been bullied. The project is intended to reassure LGBT youth that life gets better after high school.
Following the assistant attorney general’s remarks and the video presentation, students at Blake High School were invited to sign the “It Gets Better” Pledge, which reads as follows: “Everyone deserves to be respected for who they are. I pledge to spread this message to my friends, family and neighbors. I'll speak up against hate and intolerance whenever I see it, at school and at work. I'll provide hope for lesbian, gay, bi, trans and other bullied teens by letting them know that ‘It Gets Better.’"
According to a blog on the Justice Department’s Web site, Perez told students that in addition to the Civil Rights Division bringing cases against bullies, “we also need to address the attitudes and behavior that lead to bullying.”
Perez gave the students examples of how the Justice Department has intervened in cases of bullying – including the case of an openly homosexual teenager in New York who “failed to conform to gender stereotypes.”
A settlement reached in that case requires the school district to, among other things, retain an expert consultant to review policies related to harassment, and train faculty and staff annually on discrimination and harassment.
“So its ok to bully short boys and nerds?”
Only if they’re unarmed.
Phew, this attitude really lifts a burden off the American people. What would we all do without this federal attitude? /sarc
Oh come on...hello... There are always bullies that will bully whoever they think they can get away with bulling, gay, white, black, little, learning disabled, nerds....anyone who isn’t cool, doesn’t matter, as long as that person can bully whoever it is.
Will the JD prosecute if the victim is gay/white and the "bullies" are black ???
The article you’ll never see:
The U.S. Justice Department went into a public high school on Tuesday with a message for students: If you’re “different,” if you’re Christian, and if you’re being bullied – don’t feel alone, don’t be ashamed, and don’t hesitate to call on the federal government for help if your school doesn’t stop the bullying.
“If you have been targeted for harassment or bullying because of your religious convictions, because of your Christian identity or expression, or simply because your classmates see you as different, I am here to tell you that the Civil Rights Division will not stand for it,” Tom Perez, the assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, told students at James Hubert Blake High School in Silver Spring, Md.
As part of the event – sponsored by the school’s administration and its Christian-atheist alliance – Perez played a videotape in which mostly Christian and Jewish Civil Rights Division employees (and one who identified herself as interreligious) shared their stories of being bullied at school. They also offered supportive messages to those who are being bullied now:
“You do have allies — we are here for you,” one Civil Rights Division employee says in the video.
“If you can find some hope in the fact that you have a whole community of people out here – people who you’ve never met, and we’ve never met you, but we think of you and care about you and want you to be safe and want you to be happy,” another employee says.
“Being different is cool,” another employee says.
“When I was in grade school and high school, I was bullied. But now I prosecute bullies,” says yet another employee.
“Don’t be ashamed of who you are, just keep on being yourself.”
The video was produced by the Civil Rights Division staff for submission to the national “It Gets Better” Project, which was launched after a string of suicides of Christian students who reportedly had been bullied. The project is intended to reassure religious youth that life gets better after high school.
Following the assistant attorney general’s remarks and the video presentation, students at Blake High School were invited to sign the “It Gets Better” Pledge, which reads as follows: “Everyone deserves to be respected for who they are. I pledge to spread this message to my friends, family and neighbors. I’ll speak up against hate and intolerance whenever I see it, at school and at work. I’ll provide hope for Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Agnostic and other bullied teens by letting them know that ‘It Gets Better.’”
According to a blog on the Justice Department’s Web site, Perez told students that in addition to the Civil Rights Division bringing cases against bullies, “we also need to address the attitudes and behavior that lead to bullying.”
Perez gave the students examples of how the Justice Department has intervened in cases of bullying – including the case of an openly Christian teenager in New York who “failed to conform to atheist stereotypes.”
A settlement reached in that case requires the school district to, among other things, retain an expert consultant to review policies related to harassment, and train faculty and staff annually on discrimination and harassment.
Teach your children the fine art of making offensive people invisible. Just do not acknowledge their existence. Pretend they are not there. I have found this to be an effective tactic.
I met a very suggestable woman who expressed her concern for her son who was being bullied at school. She assumed he was gay because of it. So very strange.
Well then. There's your solution to bullying.
Tell the bully who has you on the top of his list that if he persists, you'll write a letter to the US Justice Department, naming him as someone who revels in bullying gays.
If said bully has half a brain, he'll do anything to avoid that shiite storm from coming down on his head.
Or better yet...don't tell him. Just write the letter.
Yep; it’s a set up for more gov’t intrusion into peoples lives.
Report to detention immediately!
Great (sarc), just what we need, the US DOJ to personally come in and intervene in what are otherwise playground riffs !
I know my 11 year old doesn’t like this one boy who wears pink and purple and is definitely gay ! Also the kid has pretty bad hygiene habits as well ! He makes moves on boys and girls. So if my son decks this kid, now the $&&$ DOJ is going after him and my family !
Remember when America wasn’t run for the benefit of perverts, parasites, the immoral, lazy, and stupid?
Bullied at a voting station by Black thugs wearing black leather & carrying clubs?
Nobama & the Justice Department & Holder will look the other way!!!!
Sure do have the priorities straight in ths country don’t they?
Where did Holder get the legal authority to interfere in local schools over this issue?
Well, THAT'S rather brazen to admit.
A lot of kids get bullied for being small and weak. There doesn't seem to be much sympathy for them either.
Amen!
Only if they are White males and Christian.
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