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How a Cruel Meme Turned This Woman Into an Activist

September 12, 2016, 3:16 am
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CommentaryBullyingLGBT youthYouthHow a Cruel Meme Turned This Woman Into an ActivistAshley VanPevenage

You may recognize me from my photo that was turned into a cruel meme. In January of 2015, a friend of mine who runs a makeup Instagram account asked to do my makeup. I was having an allergic reaction to benzoyl peroxide at the time and I knew I needed help covering my acne. The make­up artist posted a before-and-after photo of my makeover on her Instagram timeline. Months later, I was told that there was a meme circulating of me.

I almost couldn’t believe it until I was mysteriously tagged in a Facebook post of my meme by DJ Samy Irssak. At that point the meme had been shared over 125,000 times. I think at one point Twitter tracked the meme at over 5 million shares. That meme now has over 7 million shares across Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube combined.

There were hundreds of thousands of shares and horrible comments. Most of them were making fun of my acne and how I looked. I think the most popular hate comment was “This is the reason you have to take a bitch swimming on the first date.” I already had a hard time struggling with my acne, and now it was impossible for me to have any self-confidence, knowing what people were saying about me. The comments and shares were not just in the U.S. but around the world. Imagine waking up one day and feeling like the world thinks you're the ugliest person on the internet.

It was all starting to get to me so I decided to post a video on YouTube called “My Response to My Viral Meme.” I wanted to get the message out there and show that there is a real person behind those memes that everyone laughs at. I wanted people to know that  I wasn’t going to let the horrible comments or negativity get to me. I wanted to use my experience to help anyone else who may be a victim of cyberbullying. That video went viral and had over 1 million shares. There was a lot of support that came from people who had heard my story. I started to get my confidence back when I started treating my acne and actively researching how I could help other people like me.   

I stopped focusing on social media and focused more on myself. I realized this situation created a new purpose for me. I was still picking up the pieces of my self-esteem to face friends and peers at school who I thought saw the meme. As it turns out, the thing that ridiculed me eventually led to curing my acne. Dr. David Lortcher​ of​ Curology​ reached out to me to help after seeing an article about me. After my skin cleared, I regained my confidence and wanted to help those with the same experience as mine by starting Cure the Hate.

Cure the Hate is a cause I started to raise awareness on acne shaming and cyberbullying. I researched cyberbullying foundations that I could partner with. ​The Tyler Clementi Foundation​was the one that I connected with the most. After reading Tyler’s story, I was impressed by all the work the foundation is doing its Day 1 campaign. I also found out theTyler Clementi Foundation is the only cyberbullying foundation that offers free legal services to victims of cyberbullying. I decided to reach out to the foundation to see if it might be interested in supporting Cure the Hate and becoming a partner. My goal is to raise the foundation’s #upstander pledges to the millions!  

Continuing with our efforts to put an end to cyberbullying, I came across an article about the new cyberbullying trend called "roasting," which often involves groups of girls bullying a male youth. I want to break the cycle and be an advocate for males too. Its interesting to see how the tables have turned, since guys were the ones continually ridiculing and posting hateful comments about me. I truly believe that what happened was meant to happen so that I can help put an end to the monster that is cyberbullying.

Cure the Hate has gained support from YouTube digital influencers and pop icons such as Michelle Phan (Ipsy), Honey B Eileen (Celebrity MUA), Cassandra Bankson (model, acne activist, YouTube creator), Kelly Osbourne (pop icon) and Dani Mathers (Playmate of the Year). Please get involved.

(RELATED: Dharun Ravi's Conviction Overturned in Tyler Clementi Case)

ASHLEY VANPEVENAGE is a college student from Tacoma, Wash.

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Things You Can Do to Be Part of Some Positive Change for LGBT Youth

October 11, 2016, 5:26 pm
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Youthsupport lgbt youth

Recent statistics about the bullying and harassment issues that LGBT youth face paint a troubling picture, but the LGBT community has a proven track record for resilience and supporting its own. We’ve rounded up some action steps you can take this month, today and throughout the year to make an impact on the lives of young LGBTs.

Show your colors on special dates

You don’t have to be like Cher on Twitter with several million followers to be an inspiring voice of acceptance and unity. October is Bullying Prevention Month and Spirit Day on October 20 is specifically a date for standing up for young LGBTs. GLAAD is spearheading the Spirit Day campaign again this year, rallying corporations, communities and high profile figures from the world of media and entertainment.

The call to action is wear your purple, demonstrating acceptance and solidarity with LGBT youth. The hashtag SpiritDay is expected to become trending, showing the depth of support that’s focused on the anti-bullying effort.

Support organizations focused on youth services

Among the numerous organizations focused on providing youth with critical services and empowerment programs, involvement can be in the form of volunteering or opening your pocketbook for fundraiser efforts. In fact, a number of key nonprofits from coast to coast produce high-profile events and galas to engage the community.

In addition to monetary support, volunteers are critical for the day-to-day operations of certain organizations. For example, the Los Angeles LGBT Center have created a mentoring program called Lifeworks that connects young adults with accomplished LGBT professionals who are volunteers.

To name a just a few among many, GLSEN, Hetrick Martin Institute, the Trevor Project, True Colors Fund all work at community and government levels to advance the safety and acceptance of young LGBTs.

Be aware of legislation and political trends and vote

A recent win in California for LGBT youth that couldn’t have been achieved without grassroots support, Bill 524 was recently signed into law of by California Governor Jerry Brown. The law calls for some regulation of the industry of residential programs that claim to help troubled youth. “Today is a victory for the protection of our children,” said California State Senator Ricardo Lara. “Many facilities or camps that claim to help children are causing irreparable harm. With this bill we will provide oversight for these facilities to ensure that no child is the victim of psychological or physical abuse at the hands of adults they are told to trust."

Since policies surface at the different levels of government that can have a direct impact on the conditions for LGBT youth, there is reason for voting LGBT citizens to consider the rights of young people not yet old enough to vote.

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Celebs, Brands, and Politicians Who Went Purple for Spirit Day

October 20, 2016, 11:31 am
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YouthGLAADSpirit Daytwitter.com/RuPaulsDragRaceDaniel Reynolds

On Spirit Day, folks around the country wear purple as a symbolic stand against the bullying of LGBT youth. Here is a list of politicians, celebrities, social-media stars, and brands who turned a different hue today as part of this movement.

Want to support LGBT youth? Take GLAAD's Spirit Day pledge at GLAAD.org. And wear purple!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes. It's #SpiritDay!!!! http://www.glaad.org/spiritday

A photo posted by Elvis Duran (@elvisduran) on

 

Stand together. Honor @GLAAD's #SpiritDay.

A photo posted by gameofthrones (@gameofthrones) on

 

Join me today & wear purple in support of LBGTQ+ youth for @glaad #SpiritDay!!

A photo posted by TREVOR MORAN (@trevormoran) on

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Helping The Quad Cities Battle HIV Among Homeless Youth

October 27, 2016, 8:00 am
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LGBT Youth Need Hillary's Antibullying Plan More Than Ever

November 4, 2016, 2:03 am
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CommentaryLGBT youthYouthEducationLGBT Youth Need Hillary's Bulling Plan More Than EverRandi Weingarten

As president of the American Federation of Teachers, I hear from teachers and school staff every day about the real, severe toll bullying takes on students, especially students with disabilities, LGBTQ students, students of color, and others who are vulnerable or historically marginalized. We still have so much work to do to make all schools safe and welcoming places for the students who come there to learn and for the educators and other adults who work to make a difference in students’ lives.

One of the reasons the AFT endorsed Hillary Clinton for president is that she listens to our families and our communities. Clinton’s “Better than Bullying” plan is a clear example of how she listens to educators and uses their input to inform her policy proposals. She has heard us on this issue and has taken the time to develop a plan that can really combat bullying and hate. Her plan will give states the incentive to develop comprehensive antibullying plans, and provide parents, educators, school staff, and communities with the resources and skills they need to prevent bullying and support those who experience it.

I love that Hillary’s comprehensive plan includes support for professional development for educators and other school employees, and that it recognizes the important role of school counselors and wraparound services. It also rightly acknowledges both the need to prioritize school climate as part of implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act and the importance of bullying prevention in creating and maintaining positive and constructive school climates.

This election cycle, with candidates like Donald Trump using the currency of hate, fear, and marginalization, has made combating bullying a more urgent issue. AFT members are reporting a troubling increase in bullying behavior in schools nationwide thanks to the toxic rhetoric of the Trump campaign. One teacher in Miami told me that her 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old students are afraid they and/or their parents will be rounded up and deported. And I heard from a middle school teacher in Dearborn, Mich., whose Muslim students have stopped wearing anything that could identify them as Muslim and come to class in tears after white classmates taunt them. Educators are actually calling this the Trump effect,—and it’s going to take time and hard work to heal the wounds it has inflicted.

If you couldn’t tell, this issue is personal for me, and I’ve been proud to lead the AFT as we’ve tackled bullying prevention over the last eight years. From our “See Bullying, Stop Bullying” campaign to our ever-expanding bullying prevention resource hub on our Share My Lesson website to our time-tested professional development programs to working with groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Anti-Defamation League, and Not in Our School, the AFT is committed to combating bullying in schools.

AFT members are thrilled that Hillary Clinton understands the importance of tackling bullying, and we look forward to partnering with the next president of the United States on an even more comprehensive approach to addressing bullying and other school climate issues.

RANDI WEINGARTEN is president of the American Federation of Teachers. Follow her on Twitter @rweingarten.

LGBT Youth Need Hillary's Antibullying Plan More Than Ever

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Minnesota Mother Sues Daughter for Transitioning

November 18, 2016, 1:19 pm
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TransgenderYouthLGBT youthLawCalgaroNeal Broverman

A 17-year-old trans teen is being sued by her mother over the daughter’s transition. In her lawsuit, Anmarie Calgaro (pictured) lists her child as a defendant, along with two health care providers who provided transition-related services to her. 

The teenager has been legally emancipated and living independently from Calgaro since June 2015, according to Buzzfeed. After striking out on her own, the teen began receiving hormone replacement therapy — Minnesota allows emancipated minors to manage their own health care without parental approval.

The law allowing minors to make their own decisions is at the heart of the lawsuit by Calgaro, who’s being represented by a notorious anti-abortion law firm. Still, Calgaro has made no bones about her opposition to her daughter’s transition; she uses male pronouns for her daughter in the lawsuit and stated she’s trying to stop her child from “doing something [she] might regret.”

The odd thing about this case is that the daughter will likely be a legal adult by the time it goes to court. Responding to that point, Calgaro reportedly said, “I’m filing this on behalf of other parents.”

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How Do We Fight Bullying Without Hillary's Help?

November 22, 2016, 2:52 am
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CommentaryLGBT youthYouthHow Do We Fight Bullying Without Hillary's HelpWes Nemenz

The national conversation on bullying of LGBTQ youth seems to have quieted down in recent years. With many gains toward full equality under the law, you wouldn’t be alone in assuming this was becoming a problem of the past. But despite the decline in visibility, as the outcome of this election has shown us, our youngest community members remain as vulnerable as ever to unacceptable harassment and bullying.

The truth is that LGBTQ youth have still been struggling— even under a receptive Obama administration — and we can reasonably expect those struggles to remain or get worse if we don’t step in. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in the 2015 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey released earlier this year, sexual minority students still have a higher prevalence of bullying both on and off school property as well as a higher incidence of many health-risk behaviors compared with straight students. Though the CDC’s national report did not document the experiences of trans or gender-nonconforming students, some states do obtain this information, and it should be no surprise that these outcomes are exacerbated for so many youth in our community living at the intersections of race, class, and gender.

Yet it is clear that teachers and staff feel ill-equipped to intervene to stop the harassment or its consequences. Many school personnel admit they aren’t comfortable discussing LGBTQ-related topics. They are afraid of saying the wrong thing. They don’t know how to initiate conversations to help individual students or reduce bullying in the classroom. Many aren’t familiar with other challenges these members of our community face, from homelessness to thoughts of suicide. Nor are they familiar with relevant support services. 

When working as a trainer for several LGBTQ nonprofits including the Trevor Project, I presented hundreds of LGBTQ 101 workshops across the country to teach school employees how to be more supportive. It was often difficult to measure which strategies were the most effective in moving people from awareness of the problem (changing hearts and minds) to action (changing behaviors). I also realized that providing face-to-face training to large numbers of schools in a timely manner would require significantly more resources than were available.

I was intrigued when I was asked to consult on the development of an online simulation using role-play conversations to help K-12 faculty and staff to practice techniques for creating a more welcoming environment for LGBTQ students. I had hesitations about presenting a digital interaction rather than a personal one, but I was willing to explore the possibilities.

The result was Step In, Speak Up!, a 30-minute interactive experience developed by health simulation company Kognito. The program places the user in a high school where they hear from virtual LGBTQ students about the challenges they face. Then the user assumes the role of an educator who observes an anti-LGBTQ harassment incident and practices intervening with a coach who provides personalized feedback. Another conversation allows the user to assess a virtual student for suicide risk and connect that student to help. That is especially relevant for LGBTQ youth, who because of the treatment they receive remain at a disproportionately higher risk for suicide — four times more likely than straight and/or cisgender youth.

In all cases, the learner controls the conversation by choosing various options from a navigation menu. It’s advantageous to the user that these programs allow them to role-play without the anxiety of doing it in front of a crowd of their peers, as they might in a real-life professional development training.

In a national pilot study of over 2,400 users, 98.6 percent of participants agreed or strongly agreed that all staff in their facility should take the course, and 95 percent indicated they would recommend the training to a colleague. 

In a three-month follow-up survey, 50 percent reported an increase in the number of students they identified as having been teased, harassed, or bullied. Roughly the same number indicated an increase in the number of students connected to support services, the number of follow-ups after class, the number of students approached because they used discriminatory language, and intervention for LGBTQ students who were being teased, harassed, or bullied.

Similar results have been reported with Kognito’s LGBTQ on Campus, a companion simulation suite for college students, faculty and staff. These outcomes encouraged me to join Kognito, where I work today.

These results show the power of conversation to change attitudes, skills, and behaviors. One educator commented that she liked the fact that teachers can be “caring adults” and advocate respect no matter what their personal beliefs/feelings are, which is an invaluable lesson as we face the next four years.

Another plus for the LGBTQ safe schools movement is that online simulations help to decrease the disparity of regional support and resources for educating school faculty and staff on the needs of their LGBTQ students. These simulations are accessible to educators everywhere. Current users range from New York City and the Los Angeles Unified School District to Fairfax County, Va.; Shelby County, Tenn.; Hawaii; the entire states of Ohio and Arkansas; and more.

The bottom line — as the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Leadership LAB has shown with its canvassing conversations regarding homophobia and transphobia — is that conversations work. We can and should continue to show up in person to have these conversations, but we must also take advantage of research-driven approaches that we can scale on a national level and use to create lasting behavior change. New tools like Kognito’s simulations hold exciting potential for moving us beyond safe spaces to having entire schools and communities that understand and embrace their LGBTQ students.

Harnessing this potential is imperative because queer youth still face this treatment in their homes, communities, and faraway buildings where policies affecting their lives are made — as when adults insist that transgender students are not who they say they are, leaving them susceptible to physical and emotional harm. Regardless of what happens in the Supreme Court, or with an openly hostile vice president, we retain so much power — through conversations like these — to show up for LGBTQ youth who need us.

The changes in support we’ve seen for queer students through simulations like Step In, Speak Up! and LGBTQ on Campus demonstrate how simple we can make this process for allies in our schools. Use of these simulations grows each day, showing a clear willingness by school personnel to stop ignoring the conversation simply because of their inexperience with the subject. Knowledge is growth, and growth is approaching hard conversations about the experiences of LGBTQ people and other important subjects — with an open mind and a developed dialogue. Results show that Kognito can support you in doing this well, helping you manifest a more supportive climate where students can live proudly.

WES NEMENZ is the senior strategist, LGBTQ programs, for the health simulation company Kognito. He formerly worked in multiple education manager capacities with the Trevor Project, served as safe school and youth services coordinator with the Long Island GLBT Services Network, and held a communications fellow position with Equality North Carolina.  

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Lady Gaga Visits LGBT Youth at Ali Forney Center for Black Friday

November 27, 2016, 10:59 am
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YouthLGBT youthLady GagaNew York CityLady GagaTrudy Ring

After getting a Thanksgiving Day visit from Madonna, LGBT young people at the Ali Forney Center got a Black Friday appearance by another music icon — Lady Gaga.

Gaga visited the Brooklyn location of the center, which provides housing, a drop-in program, and other services for homeless LGBT youth at several sites in New York City. She brought gifts, led meditation, and performed “Million Reasons.” Watch video at the bottom of the page.

“I’m here today not because I had to excruciatingly pull time out of my schedule to come be here,” Gaga said at the center, according to I Heart Radio.“I’m here because I want to be here. And I’m here because I want this to affect other people around the world and to remind them that when they are kind, it not only makes the other person feel good, but it makes me feel good too.”

Gaga also tweeted a photo of her meditating with the young people.

 

 

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Queer Muslim Student Alleges Harassment by Professor

November 30, 2016, 7:24 pm
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YouthEducationNorth CarolinaProfessor Mike AdamsTrudy Ring

A professor at the University of North Carolina’s Wilmington campus has come under fire for numerous anti-LGBT and Islamophobic statements, including remarks perceived as threats to individual students — but school officials say he has not violated any federal law or university policy.

Nada Merghani, a Muslim refugee from Sudan who identifies as queer, told The Daily Beast she had to leave the school after intense harassment by criminology professor Mike Adams, a conservative Christian who makes his anti-LGBT and anti-Muslim views known via Facebook, Twitter, and columns he writes for websites such as The Daily Wire and Townhall.

Merghani said she had never so much as spoken to Adams when he first attacked her — in a Facebook post in April 2015. “The only thing more disgusting than a jihadist Muslim is a pro-choice Muslim,” Adams wrote of Merghani. Then in August of that year, Adams wrote a column for The Daily Wire regarding a Facebook post of Mergani’s about Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to the UNC Wilmington campus, in which she said, “Y’all are not prepared for what I’m about to do.”

The Secret Service interpreted that as a threat and interviewed Mergani, then concluded she did not intend to try to harm Trump. “I could have saved them the trouble and let them know there was no need to fear a terrorist attack from the confused teenager,” Adams wrote. “Her claims to be a ‘queer Muslim’ are probably part of an act designed to fit into as many victim categories as possible.” The headline on his column was “A ‘Queer Muslim’ Jihad?”

Even though Adams did say Mergani was not a terrorist threat, he had done damage by even associating her with the words “terrorist” and “jihad,” according to Beast writer Jenn Hoffman. Mergani said a campaign of harassment by Adams and his supporters ensued, leading her to leave the university in November of this year because she felt unsafe.

Adams’s columns and social media posts regularly attack LGBT people, Muslims, feminists, and “leftists” in general. He has expressed incredulity that anyone could be queer and Muslim, saying, “If you choose a religion bent on executing you, nothing you say could be intelligent.” Of course, many Muslims do not believe gay people should be put to death.

In 2009, when two gay UNC Wilmington students were beaten unconscious after leaving a bar in the city, Adams was outraged that police were investigating the incident as a hate crime. In a Townhall column, he wrote that the students were assaulted not necessarily because they were gay, but because they were “drunk and stupid.” He lampooned the idea of hate-crimes laws while asserting that people could stay safe by carrying guns. “Gays have been much more likely to be attacked even if their attackers were not aware of their sexual orientation,” he wrote. “This is simply because gays are more likely to hang out in bars — places where they are not allowed to carry weapons in order to defend themselves.”

He has further likened gender-confirmation surgery to mutilation and called transgender people “mentally ill.” In a tweet this year, he addressed North Carolina’s House Bill 2, which among other things restricts transgender people’s restroom usage in government buildings. “Let’s make it illegal for doctors to mutilate the genitals of the mentally ill,” he wrote. “That would resolve this whole hb2 thing.” Among the many problems with his assertion is that some transgender people do not seek genital surgery.

UNC Wilmington officials say that nothing in Adams’s published statements provide grounds to fire him. “Dr. Adams’s online column and social media presence represent his personal expressions and opinions on a variety of topics,” said a statement issued by the university to the Beast.“These expressions and opinions are neither within the requested scope of Dr. Adams’s duties with the university, nor do they represent the views of the university. However, they are expressions protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.”

University administrators also said Adams has not made a “true threat” against Mergani or any other student, nor violated the school’s antiharassment policy or federal law concerning the privacy of student information.

Some students and professors say UNC Wilmington should adopt a stronger policy against hate speech or use Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which addresses when free speech crosses the line into creating a hostile environment, to deal with Adams. And more than 2,000 people have signed an online petition calling for his dismissal, the Beast reports.

But Adams could turn litigious. He once sued the university, alleging that he was denied a full professorship because of his political views. In a settlement, the university agreed to promote him and prevent retaliation against him.

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HIV Continues to Rise Among Youth

December 1, 2016, 12:30 pm
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37 Pictures from Glam TrevorLIVE Gala

December 5, 2016, 5:39 pm
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The stars turned out for the L.A. event, which raised money for the suicide prevention organization.

37 Pictures from Glam TrevorLIVE Gala

Trevor

The stars turned out for the L.A. event which raised money for the suicide prevention organization.

YouthArts & EntertainmentPhotographyNeal Broverman
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Toxic Homophobia Still Festers in America's Schools

December 15, 2016, 2:23 am
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CommentaryLGBT youthYouthEducationHomophobia Bullying American Schools Ryan Thoreson

Over the past year, I’ve traveled around the United States interviewing students, teachers, and administrators about the issues that LGBT people face in schools.

The stories I heard were sobering. Despite some progress in laws and attitudes, many LGBT students still encounter discrimination throughout the school environment, making them feel unsafe, excluded, and unable to learn.

Last week, Human Rights Watch released that research in a new report, “Like Walking Through a Hailstorm”: Discrimination Against LGBT Youth in US Schools. Our research shows that although progress is being made, there’s plenty left to be done, and action is urgently needed.

Between 1999 and 2015, every state in the U.S. enacted legislation aimed at curbing bullying in schools. But in 2016, only 19 states and the District of Columbia specifically target bullying on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The majority don’t spell out that it’s unacceptable to bully kids for being LGBT, making it difficult for students to know they’re protected and for teachers to know where they should draw the line and intervene. And in Missouri and South Dakota, the hands of school administrators are tied. Perversely, state law actually prohibits them from developing policies that are deliberately tailored to the need to protect particularly vulnerable groups, including LGBT students, from bullying.

Even as millennials generally become more supportive of their LGBT peers, many students I spoke with said they had been targeted for physical bullying, verbal harassment, sexual harassment, or cyberbullying. Worse, they not only have to deal with bullying by other students but also with faculty and staff who ignore bullying and harassment in the classroom, use anti-LGBT slurs, tell anti-LGBT jokes, or teach that being LGBT is wrong.

Nor is bullying the only problem LGBT kids face. In at least eight U.S. states, discriminatory “no promo homo” laws restrict discussions of LGBT topics in schools. The laws prevent LGBT students from learning about their health, history, and rights, and discourage teachers from talking about LGBT subjects, voicing support for LGBT students, or intervening when they see anti-LGBT bullying.

Often students weren’t sure where to turn for information and support. Many students we interviewed didn’t feel they could go to their school counselor about LGBT issues, weren’t aware of LGBT resources in the school library, and found that attempts to learn about LGBT issues on school computers were blocked by internet filters that censored LGBT content.   

Students across the U.S. have formed gay-straight alliances for peer support — and under federal law, schools have to allow those groups to form just like any other noncurricular organization. But many students who attempted to form GSAs told us they were stonewalled by administrators, had difficulty finding faculty sponsors, or faced stringent requirements not enforced with other groups. In some instances, GSAs were allowed to organize but faced absurd regulations — like not being allowed to put the word “gay” on posters.

Discrimination also loomed large. Teachers described the pressure to stay closeted, tamping down their support of LGBT kids. Students in same-sex relationships told me that they’d been discouraged or barred from bringing same-sex dates to prom, or were punished more harshly than heterosexual peers for holding hands or hugging in the hallway. Transgender students were misgendered by faculty and staff, denied access to facilities, barred from participating in extracurricular activities, and punished for wearing clothing consistent with their gender identity.

Adults often dismiss these experiences, telling kids to toughen up or dismissing individual incidents. What many adults don’t grasp is that these problems add up day in and day out. As the mother of a gender-nonconforming boy in Utah described it: “It’s like walking through a hailstorm. It’s not like any one piece of hail that gets you, it’s all the hail together.” Addressing discrimination against LGBT youth in schools isn’t a matter of passing any single law or policy — it instead requires holistic approaches to foster environments where all students, including LGBT students, feel safe, included, and able to learn.

Progress is being made, but we can’t take it for granted. The wave of efforts earlier this year to restrict bathroom and locker room access for transgender youth demonstrated how stereotypes and prejudice can threaten the safety and well-being of LGBT young people. And since the election in November, the Southern Poverty Law Center has documented a spike in harassment, much of it in schools, targeting LGBT students, immigrants, and racial and religious minorities.

As lawmakers begin their work in January, they have the power to make things worse or better for LGBT youth. If they are serious about keeping all students safe, there are a number of steps they should take.

The Trump administration’s Justice and Education departments should preserve existing guidance that protects transgender students from discrimination in schools. Legislators at the federal and state levels should pass LGBT-inclusive safe schools legislation, repeal “no promo homo” laws, and enact employment protections for LGBT teachers. Locally, school boards and administrators should revamp antibullying and antidiscrimination policies to make them LGBT-inclusive, incorporate LGBT topics in school curricula, and train teachers and counselors to be resources for LGBT youth.

Ensuring that all youth feel safe at school and get a quality education shouldn’t be a partisan issue. We know what puts LGBT students at risk in schools. In January we will need the political will to address it.

Ryan Thoreson is a fellow with the LGBT rights program at Human Rights Watch.

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New Campaign Wants to End Harmful Conversion Therapy

December 19, 2016, 2:36 pm
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YouthEx-gay TherapyRepublican PartyLGBT youth50 bills 50 statesOrie Givens
Five states currently ban "ex-gay" therapy, sometimes called “conversion” or “reparative” therapy, designed to turn LGBT people straight or cisgender, but one campaign hopes to get that number closer to fifty. 
 
The 50 Bills 50 States campaign launched this month with a fundraiser that more than doubled its initial goal of $5,000. The aim of the group is to introduce legislation banning so-called “conversion therapy” in every state in the nation.
 
“Conversion therapy is a scam. It starts with the idea that being lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender or queer is a mental illness. That’s wrong,” says Samuel Brinton, campaign co-founder and survivor of conversion therapy said in a press release. "Our sexualities and gender identities are gifts that should be celebrated. Instead, these snake oil salesmen abuse children, attempting to change who they were born to be. They are born perfect and any therapist that says otherwise shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near kids.”
 
The 50 Bills 50 States campaign is building a grassroots movement to help move initiatives in every state, engaging with local communities to build statewide support for legislation. The campaign says it is aware that it might not get a bill passed in all 50 states, but it hopes to drive conversations and help assist more states to consider banning "ex-gay" therapy.  
 
“I’m overjoyed that we have way more people wanting to be involved in this than any of us thought would happen,” Josh Chretien, Director of Outreach for 50 Bills 50 States, tells The Advocate.  “And it’s happening very quickly.” 
 
The concerns that more LGBT youth will be subjected to these inhumane practices come from the overt and covert support for conversion therapy and other anti-LGBT policies, found in the Republican platform. Though Republican National Committee Chair and President-elect Donald J. Trump's Chief of Staff Reince Priebus denies the claim that the platform condones the controversial and harmful practice. There's been increase in anti-LGBT violence since the election, one that has been particularly present in schools. 
 
Vice President-elect Mike Pence is no friend to the LGBT community. While governor of Indiana, Pence passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act that allowed businesses and individuals the right to discriminate against LGBT people based on religious grounds. The law was later "fixed" so that it would not allow discrimination against LGBT people. On the campaign website for Pence's election in 2000, many have described a statement on the site as "dog-whistle" language that supports conversion therapy. Pence’s staff denied the allegation to the The New York Times, but given his history, many LGBT advocates are skeptical.
 
A politician in Pennsylvania creatively introduced a new law in the state seeking to ban the practice, known as the “Prevention of Emotion Neglect and Child Endangerment” aka P.E.N.C.E. The city of Pittsburgh is also pushing legislation to ban the practice for minors in the city. 
 
According to the National Council for Lesbian Rights website, California, New Jersey, Illinois, Oregon and Vermont currently ban "ex-gay" therapy statewide for minors, in addition to Washington D.C. and other municipalities. 
 
“We need to start that conversation at the base level of every state," says Chretien, who admits the hard work and potential fight the campaign will face, especially considering Trump has appointed several anti-LGBT people into his cabinet.
 
“Pulling people together to forge that from the ground up now, is the best way of going about doing that,” Chretien says.  
 
But the organizers hope that through engaging local communities, they’ll change minds, and laws.  
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Boy Scouts to Allow Transgender Kids

January 30, 2017, 5:59 pm
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YouthBoy Scouts of AmericaBoy ScoutsTrudy Ring

The Boy Scouts of America will begin allowing transgender boys to participate in its boys-only programs, effective immediately, the organization announced Monday.

“Starting today, we will accept and register youth in the Cub and Boy Scout programs based on the gender identity indicated on the application,” said an emailed statement from the BSA, according to Reuters.

“For more than 100 years, the Boy Scouts of America, along with schools, youth sports and other youth organizations, have ultimately deferred to the information on an individual’s birth certificate to determine eligibility for our single-gender programs,” the statement said. “However, that approach is no longer sufficient as communities and state laws are interpreting gender identity differently, and these laws vary widely from state to state.” Local Boy Scout councils will help find the right unit for each child, the statement noted.

BSA officials considered the fact that an 8-year-old transgender boy was asked to leave his Cub Scout troop in New Jersey, but the national discussion and evolving attitudes around gender identity constituted the primary reason for the change, a spokeswoman told the Associated Press.

The BSA lifted its ban on gay scouts in 2013 and on gay adult volunteers and staff in 2015, with a religious exemption. The Girl Scouts organization, which is separate, has had a nondiscrimination policy on sexual orientation and gender identity for several years.

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DOJ Files Brief Undermining Protections of Transgender Students

February 11, 2017, 1:52 pm
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PoliticsTransgenderYouthDonald TrumpJeff SessionsDaniel Reynolds

The Department of Justice is backpedaling in its support of transgender people.

A day after Jeff Sessions was confirmed as attorney general, the department withdrew a request to partially halt an order against the Obama administration's protections for trans students, including their right to use restrooms and locker rooms that corresponded with their gender identity, reports the Washington Blade.

In August, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor blocked the trans-affirming education guidelines issued by the departments of Education and Justice last May. The George W. Bush-appointed judge argued that the Obama administration overextended its reach in issuing the guidance, which contended that current legal prohibitions on discrimination based on sex also extend to protection from discrimination based on gender identity.

The central statutes under debate are Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Both of those laws prohibit sex-based discrimination by agencies, employers, and schools — in the latter case, schools that receive federal funding.

In response to O'Connor's ruling, the DOJ initially submitted a request that the halt in the guidance's implementation only apply to the dozen states, led by Texas, who sought an injunction, instead of nationwide.

The three-page filing from the Trump administration, issued Friday, announced that the department was withdrawing this request and seeking to remove oral arguments, scheduled February 17, from the calendar. The request was granted by the Fifth Circuit.

“The parties are currently considering how best to proceed in this appeal," the brief concluded.

Chad Griffin, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, condemned the move as "heartbreaking."

"After being on the job for less than 48 hours, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has signaled his intent to undermine the equal dignity of transgender students," Griffin said in a statement. "Transgender students are entitled to the full protection of the United States Constitution and our federal nondiscrimination laws."

"It is heartbreaking and wrong that the agency tasked with enforcing civil rights laws would instead work to subvert them for political interests. President Trump must immediately reverse course and direct the DOJ to uphold guidance protecting transgender students."

On January 31, amid rumors that President Trump might roll back LGBT protections, the White House issued a statement saying Trump would keep an order banning federal contractors from discriminating against LGBT people in hiring or firing.

“President Trump continues to be respectful and supportive of LGBTQ rights, just as he was throughout the election,” the statement read. “The president is proud to have been the first ever GOP nominee to mention the LGBTQ community in his nomination acceptance speech, pledging then to protect the community from violence and oppression.”

Sessions was confirmed Wednesday, despite outcry from civil rights leaders and Democratic senators like Elizabeth Warren, who was silenced for reading a letter from Coretta Scott King on the Senate floor that was criticial of his civil rights record.

During his confirmation hearings, Sessions said he would uphold the rights of all Americans, but LGBT and other civil rights groups are skeptical. Rachel B. Tiven, CEO of Lambda Legal, issued a statement calling his confirmation “a travesty.” “The chief lawyer of the United States is now someone who has devoted his whole life to obstructing civil rights,” she continued, adding, “I have personally seen him be rude and dismissive toward LGBT families.”

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Study: Teen Suicide Attempts Decreased After Same-Sex Marriage Was Legalized

February 20, 2017, 12:29 pm
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Rapper CupcakKe Offered Help to a Gay Fan After He Was Kicked Out of His Home

February 21, 2017, 1:15 pm
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The Government Is Abandoning Us — Time to Go Back to Our Roots

February 24, 2017, 3:13 am
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CommentaryTransgenderLGBT youthYouthThe Federal Government Is Abandoning Us—Time to Go Back to Our RootsJennifer L. Levi

These are scary times for LGBTQ youth, their families, and their loved ones. Hell, let’s be honest, these are scary times for most of us who live, work in, or visit this country. With a new presidential administration made up of leaders who espouse antigay, anti-transgender, anti-Muslim, racist, xenophobic views and more, and whose actions appear erratic to the most seasoned political observers, it is no wonder queer families are worried. 

A letter issued Wednesday by the Department of Justice and the Department of Education is an abandonment of transgender students. The letter revokes key school guidance that clearly said schools are obligated under Title IX to let transgender boys use boys’ bathrooms and transgender girls use girls’ bathrooms in public schools. It is a devastating setback. It means that many schools will not adopt or enforce policies that ensure equal treatment of transgender students. It also means that transgender students at schools that have complied with the guidance may see their schools suddenly reverse their support. 

The last presidential administration did an enormous amount to develop protections for LGBTQ youth, particularly in schools. Its efforts resulted in widespread change including acceptance and inclusion of students throughout schools and districts where previously there had been little hope of achieving advancements in LGBTQ protections.   

Significant progress came from the last administration’s deep commitment to guarding civil rights. When North Carolina passed its odious statewide law that excludes transgender people, including youth and adults, from being able to safely move throughout their communities and rolled back local nondiscrimination protections, the Department of Justicw quickly stepped in to challenge it. The federal government’s leadership was a beacon of hope for the community. 

Yet even with a supportive federal administration, we saw major setbacks as well. In a case deliberately brought in Wichita Falls, Texas, because it would be heard by a predictably hostile judge, a federal district court prohibited the administration from requiring schools to permit transgender students to use the same restrooms as other students. The Obama Justice Department appealed that ruling and defended the guidance, an appeal now all but abandoned by the new administration.     

Against the backdrop of this dynamic activity, one brave boy (now 17 and a senior at a Virginia public school) stands poised to walk into the United States Supreme Court March 28 to challenge his school’s refusal to allow him to use the boys’ restroom. In 2014, Gavin Grimm challenged his local school committee’s adoption of a policy that targeted transgender students for exclusion from restrooms in public schools throughout Gloucester County, Va. After an initial loss at the district court, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Gavin’s favor. A ruling in his case will impact both him personally and transgender students across America. With the Trump administration’s reversal of policy, however, there is a real risk that Gavin’s case may not be heard now that the basis upon which the lower court’s decision rests has been dissolved.

To say the least, we face tremendous uncertainty about what the future holds with regard to  federal enforcement of civil rights protections. So while we must hold federal agencies accountable for their obligations and we must and will pursue all protections available through the federal judiciary, we cannot rest comfortably. The only thing this administration has proven is that it will follow through on its promises of hostility against the most marginalized among us.

If there is a lesson to be learned here, and surely there must be, it is that we cannot count on the federal government or any of its agencies to protect the LGBTQ community. Recent events suggest that, like it or not, we are returning to the LGBTQ movement's home court, the one that brought us to the point when the Obama administration took up our cause — fighting for change locally, in our families, our neighborhoods, our schools and campuses, our towns and cities. For the past two (and really three and four) generations, that is what we have been doing — creating real, sustainable change by engaging people one at a time and asking them to stand up for the dignity of people they know and love.

These are difficult and challenging times, and we will undoubtedly see even more reversals of prior gains. But know this, although it may feel like a sea change, it is one that returns us to the place from which LGBTQ people successfully built a movement that changed the world for the better and, in doing so, laid the foundation for the federal government to support us. 

We cannot forget that while the federal government’s support was central to recent progress, we also know that gains we ultimately achieved came about because of the visibility and advocacy of trans kids, growing numbers of parent-support communities, queer summer camps, social and peer support groups and networks for youth and families, high school and college advocacy, and an explosion of online ways to connect and create community. The community’s hard work and efforts set the stage for government support. Not the other way around.

The magnitude of the political shifts we are seeing can make us feel either demoralized or empowered (and sometimes leave us swinging wildly back and forth between extremes). But when it comes to creating a safe, inclusive, affirming environment for our kids, we have no choice but to act. We must, and we can. No school or parent should wait for the first openly transgender kid before advocating for the adoption of supportive policies. No parent should be satisfied their school hosts a supportive climate because federal or state law states a broad commitment to nondiscrimination. School by school, district by district, community by community, we must shift school climate to support transgender students.    

Parents and allies, with or without LGBTQ kids, are the fiercest advocates for change. Make it your personal goal to see that all schools in your local community adopt express policies that ensure transgender boys and transgender girls in schools are fully integrated into learning environments on equal terms with other boys and girls, including making sure they can freely and fairly access student bathrooms. These times call us all to advocacy. 

In the words of Harvey Milk, "All young people, regardless of sexual orientation or identity, deserve a safe and supportive environment in which to achieve their full potential."

Harvey spoke often of hope in times that were bleak and dark for LGBTQ youth. In his calls to action, he emphasized the importance of effectuating social change starting within our own families and communities by speaking up and coming out. Although today Harvey Milk is recognized as a national leader, we should not forget that he was a city supervisor — a local official. In these tough times, we are called to remember our heroes and history and to have hope. In continuing to blaze a path forward, we must understand and capitalize on the reality that we are returning to what may turn out to be our home court advantage: local activism.

JENNIFER L. LEVI is transgender rights project director for GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders.

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Pop Singer Olly Alexander Was 'Desperate for Education' on Queer Sexuality as a Student

February 25, 2017, 1:18 pm
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Fighting Back Against Sessions's Trans Attack

March 3, 2017, 2:34 am
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CommentaryTransgenderLGBT youthYouthThe Fight Against Trump's Trans Attack Is OnRandi Weingarten

Transgender students — just like any other students — should not fear going to school, much less going to the bathroom. But last week President Trump and two of his Cabinet members made the chilling decision that they don’t think trans students deserve the right to feel safe and secure in their schools.

Over the last eight years, we made great strides in expanding LGBTQ rights, enabling those of us who are gay to live our lives without fear or discrimination. But these days it feels as if our gains are all crashing down and we are moving back in time. On transgender rights, as with so many other rights and freedoms he is trying to restrict, Trump has shown that he’s captive to the worst instincts and divisive policies of his inner circle, and that he’s a willing agent of attacks on, among other things, voting rights, women's rights, workers’ rights, religious rights, and LGBTQ rights. By rescinding Obama-era federal protections for transgender children, including the protection allowing access to restrooms based on their gender identity, Trump has drawn a line in the sand and said these kids don’t deserve the same rights as everyone else.

This rollback of rights is scary and downright offensive to everyone who believes in equality and freedom. As educators, we want all children to feel free to live their lives and be who they are. That is who we are. That is why we are fighting this.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has a long history of opposing civil rights, wasted no time in initiating the move to stop former President Obama’s protections for transgender students. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos claims she resisted, requiring Trump to weigh in since the order had to be issued by both secretaries. Trump sided with Sessions and reportedly gave DeVos an ultimatum — go along or resign. She went along. When the time came to protect vulnerable children, Trump and DeVos caved in to hate and bigotry. DeVos defended their action, calling the guidance a federal "overreach." The right of vulnerable children to be safe and free from discrimination is a key civil right. It’s appalling that the secretary of Education — whose boss just rhetorically asserted that children's education is a civil right — does not understand what it takes to make that a reality.

There are approximately 350,000 transgender youth and young adults in the United States. Quashing these protections has real-life consequences for them.

The National Center for Transgender Equality found in a 2011 study — and surely the numbers have increased since then — that 82 percent of transgender youth felt unsafe at school; 44 percent had been punched, shoved, and otherwise abused physically; 67 percent had been bullied online; and 64 percent had their property stolen or destroyed. A study by the Williams Institute at University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law found that nearly 70 percent of transgender people said they had experienced verbal harassment in situations involving gender-segregated bathrooms. Laws that force transgender people to use bathrooms where they may look out of place can make them even more vulnerable to harassment or worse.

The American Federation of Teachers, representing 1.6 million educators, nurses, and public service workers, signed on to an amicus brief filed yesterday with the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that Title IX specifically protects transgender students and their right to use facilities based on their gender identity. The Supreme Court has the opportunity to right an egregious wrong and stand up for freedom and equality.

While opponents of transgender equality stoke fears around bathrooms, the reality is that allowing transgender people access to restrooms — without fear of discrimination or harassment — doesn’t hurt anyone. An investigation of 12 states and 17 school districts with protections for LGBTQ people found no increase in incidences of harassment or inappropriate behavior after those protections were enacted.

There is rich irony in the fact that Donald Trump has sided with bigots who use unfounded fears about safety to put already vulnerable young people further at risk. Trump famously bragged that he “can do anything” he wants to women, including groping and kissing them without their consent, and there are numerous reports that he entered dressing rooms where teenage pageant contestants were undressed.

Gavin Grimm, the student who brought his suit to the Supreme Court, just wants to be treated like any other person. He deserves nothing less, and our members stand with him and every other child seeking the right to live a life free from bullying, harassment, and bigotry.

Being “different” in Trump’s America is dangerous. It’s up to us to do everything we can right now to protect our children — to not simply fight bigotry and discrimination but actively and intentionally promote inclusion and diversity.

RANDI WEINGARTEN is the president of the American Federation of Teachers. Follow her on Twitter @rweingarten.

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