Pam Spaulding's Blog, page 77
March 12, 2011
Senator Dan Swecker: Gays want to enslave your womb and sell people!
Here's an excerpt of a letter that Senator Swecker sent out to fellow anti-gay activists this week, pleading for their help in stopping the bill. He's got all the prime cuts of anti-gay red meat in there, calling gay families unnatural and implying that gays will perpetrate forced pregnancy, human trafficking and slavery. (bold emphasis added throughout this post)
HB 1267 addresses the fact that in our society today, the traditional family with one mother and one father is slowly being eroded. The natural way to have children with one father and one mother has given way to in virto fertilization, same sex parents, and surrogacy. The bill attempts to clarify who and when a person is considered a parent, and who has the rights to a child.
This bill, however, turns pregnancy and having babies into a money-making business. Especially vulnerable, are women who might be under-privileged and see surrogacy as a way to make a few dollars. Worse still are those who would force a woman to do so. Our state has been struggling with the very real and horrific problems of human trafficking, and we have been trying to pass legislation in an attempt to curb this practice. By making it legal to pay for a woman to get pregnant and carry a child for someone else, we are opening up yet another avenue for those who would use their fellow humans as slaves.
Surrogacy is legal in Washington state but remains unregulated. The current bill would put into place needed legal and financial safeguards for the women who choose to be surrogates as well as for the intended parents (many of whom are straight, but the way). The House has already passed the bill by a solid margin of 57 to 41. The bill is scheduled for a March 15th public hearing in the Senate Committee on Government Operations and Tribal Relations & Elections at 1:30 PM.
During the House floor debate, bill supporter Representative Mary Lou Dickerson put the surrogacy portion of the bill into proper perspective with this level-headed assessment: (TVW video starting at 1:18:15)
A little over a year ago when the prime sponsor brought the concept of the bill to me, I was a little dubious. I was thinking about vulnerability of these women who would be the surrogates, and I brought up a number of issues. And I see that all of these issues have been incorporated into the bill.The woman has to be 21 years of age or older. She has to have had a pregnancy before. She has to have independent council - someone who's looking out for her and only her. She has to have all manner of insurance. I don't see this woman as vulnerable.
I've heard a lot of talk on the floor about vulnerable women and the high chance of disability. And I think to some extent these words don't describe the normal, common pregnancy. I've been pregnant. A lot of my friends have been pregnant. And I can tell you that it's a very normal part of life, people. Very, very normal.
...I think that we should believe in the women of this state who can make up their own minds about whether or not they want to get pregnant.
Senator Swecker sent his letter to the usual anti-gay suspects, and naturally they're snapping at the red meat with relish. Gary Randall of Faith and Freedom Network writes "WA Senate to Consider Selling Babies", Joseph Backholm from Family Policy Institute of Washington asks "Will Washington Allow the Sale of People?" and Cindy Honcoop of Washington Eagle Forum claims that the "Bill Redefines Family in WA State".
Cindy Honcoop made her true reason for opposing the bill, anti-gay animus, obvious in her first sentence:
Introduced by homosexual activist Rep. Jamie Pedersen HB 1267 modifies current law related to parentage removing gender designations from parental references throughout current law related to parents to accommodate same-sex, state-registered domestic partners.Likewise, after invoking "chattel" Gary Randall makes clear that his motivation for opposing the bill is his fundamental opposition to anything that might benefit gay people:
While the homosexual activists in the legislature are presenting the bill as a "common sense, clarification" bill, it is much more than that. Representatives Jamie Pederson, Moeller, Liias and others are driving this bill as part of their vision for the homosexual agenda. Please notice the list of 53 names of sponsorship on the bill.It is ironic that Randall would draw attention to the huge number of bill co-sponsors. There are only 6 out gay or lesbian legislators in the Washington legislature. So with 53 co-sponsors, if this bill is part of any agenda it is the popular Washington agenda of treating all Washington families fairly and equally.
Recall that when this bill was before the House, Joseph Backholm of the Family Policy Institute of Washington took aim at it because it "would extend...presumption [of parenthood] to same-sex relationships, so that a child could be legally presumed to have a second mother". Given the House's vote for the bill, that line of attack was unsuccessful. Now Backholm is passing along Sen. Swecker's hyperbolic anti-gay letter to supporters.
Notable for his absence in this round of anti-gay activity is Pastor Joe Fuiten. Undoubtedly this is because Sen. Swecker's letter demonizes in vitro fertilization, a direct snub of Pastor Fuiten's "freezer baby" embryo adoption service.
Washington state residents wishing to ask their senator to support HB 1267 can contact them by calling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000. A public hearing of this bill has been scheduled for Tuesday, March 15th at 1:30 pm in the Senate Government Operations, Tribal Relations & Elections Committee.
Related:
* "Family" group sacrifices child security on the altar of anti-gay animus
TAVA Executive Director Monica Helms Video: "Keep The ROTC Off Of YOUR Campus!"
Below is a new video from the Transgender American Veterans Association (TAVA) Executive Director Monica Helms on ROTC programs at college campuses, entitled Keep The ROTC Off Of YOUR Campus!
"This video is in response to President Obama's request that university campuses open their doors to the ROTC and military recruiters. Just because DADT has been repealed, LGB people still can't serve openly and they will not get all of the benefits afforded to straight military people. On top of that, the military will still discriminate against allowing trans people to serve openly. The ROTC should remain off of campuses."
Explosion at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station
Photo credit: NTV Japan, via APTN, via Associated Press
A major explosion blew off the roof and crumbled the walls of one of the buildings at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Saturday afternoon. The plant is located in the coastal town of Okuma in the Fukushima Prefecture, 150 miles north of Tokyo. About 11,00 people live in Okuma. Watch the BBC video of the explosion here.
The emergency at the Daiichi plant began shortly after the earthquake struck on Friday afternoon. Emergency diesel generators, which had kicked in to run the reactor's cooling system after the electrical power grid failed, shut down about an hour after the earthquake. There was speculation that the tsunami knocked the generators out of service.Although the cause of the explosion is not yet certain, it would appear that an "uncontrolled rupture" has indeed occurred and perhaps the nuclear fuel is exposed. Let us hope that this will not develop into a melt-down.Twenty hours later, the plant was operating in a battery-controlled cooling mode. Tokyo Electric said that by Saturday morning it had installed a mobile generator at Daiichi to ensure that the cooling system would continue operating even after reserve battery power was depleted. Even so, the company said it was considering a "controlled containment venting" in order to avoid an "uncontrolled rupture and damage" to the containment unit.
About 45,000 people within a 6-mile radius of the plant have be told to evacuate. One wonders how quickly evacuation is possible in an area already ravaged by earthquake and tsunami. My heart goes out to the people of Japan, but especially to my friend Chiaki and her family.
March 11, 2011
Maryland's legislature recommits the Civil Marriage Protection Act to committee
Debate started at 11AM. Here's a snippet of a report from Yusef Najafi at Metro Weekly:
The Maryland's House of Delegates is entering hour two of debates on Senate Bill 116, legislation that would grant same-sex couples in the state legal marriage recognition, while also protecting the rights of religious institutions to handle issues of marriage however they see fit.You may want to follow Yusef Najafi's Tweets for the latest updates.Discussions from both sides have been passionate and often ended with applause in the House chambers.
Del. Emmett Burns (D-Baltimore City) said he found it offensive that the gay rights movement is often compared to the civil rights movement. Burns added that he's been threatened and called the "N-word" regarding his opposition to the marriage bill.
"The civil rights movement as I knew it... had nothing to do with same-sex marriage," he said, "and those who decide to ride on our coattails are historically incorrect. The civil rights movement was about putting teeth into the Declaration of Independence."
UPDATE (2:30 PM ET): from Equality Maryland:
EQUALITY MARYLAND VOWS TO KEEP UP FIGHT FOR MARRIAGEMarch 11, 2011 -- After lengthy debate and support from thousands of Marylanders from all over the state, today the House of Delegates recommitted the Civil Marriage Protection Act to committee.
Statement by the Staff and Board of Equality Maryland; Morgan Meneses-Sheets, Executive Director and Charles Butler, Board President
"While we are disappointed the House did not vote to pass marriage equality today, we are confident we will win in the future. With so much at stake today for thousands of Maryland families, we are thankful that our legislative allies have taken such care with this vote. It is best to delay this historic vote until we are absolutely sure we have the votes to win. We look forward to working strategically with our amazing allies in the legislature, and our supporters across the state, to continue to build support for, and win, marriage equality in the Free State.
We are extraordinarily grateful to the many leaders who have stood by us throughout this journey. We wouldn't have made it this far without their tireless dedication. We especially would like to thank our lead sponsors - Senators Rob Garagiola (D-15), Jamie Raskin (D-20) and Rich Madaleno (D-18) and Delegates Kumar Barve (D-17), Ben Barnes (D-21) and Keiffer Mitchell. We are also extremely fortunate to have such dedicated leaders in the members of Maryland's LGBT Caucus and proud to call them not just our partners but our friends. Special thanks to Delegates Maggie McIntosh (D-43), Heather Mizeur (D-20), Anne Kaiser (D-14), Luke Clippinger (D-46), Bonnie Cullison (D-19), Mary Washington (D-43) and Peter Murphy (D-28). No one could have done more to push for the passage of this legislation.
We commend the thousands of supporters across the state who made calls, sent emails, and met with their legislators to tell them why all Maryland couples should be treated fairly. Folks from all over Maryland stood up and told their stories, got involved and built grassroots support to extend to the freedom to marry to all loving and committed couples.
As a result of the tireless efforts, strong hearts, and the determination of gay and lesbian couples and our many allies it is only a matter of time before Marylanders achieve marriage equality.
Equality Maryland is more committed than ever to this fight. We're committed to working with our allies in the legislature to redouble our efforts to ensure that our voices are heard and our rights are protected. We know our cause is just. We know that a growing majority of Marylanders believe in the same values of fairness and equality.
We must commit to this fight for the long haul, and together we will triumph!"
Update 2: (2:45 PM ET) Here is an excerpt from an e-mail from EQMD's executive director Morgan Meneses-Sheets with the subject line "Where we go from here". After reflecting the content of the press release above, she adds
There is still work to do this year. The Gender Identity Anti-Discrimination Act (HB 235) provides critical protections in employment and housing on the basis of gender identity and expression. All hardworking people in our state, including transgender people, should have a chance to earn a living and provide for themselves and their families.We must pass HB235 to ensure that no one has to live in fear that they will be fired for reasons unrelated to their ability to do the job.
All residents of our state should be treated fairly and equally under the law. Equality Maryland is committed to advancing House Bill 235 this year and to continuing to work to end the exclusion of loving and committed gay and lesbian couples from marriage.
Update 3 (from Autumn): (4:15 PM EST) The Washington Blade's Kevin Naff has commentary up on the bill's defeat, entitled Amateur hour in Maryland House. He names a number of names:
...This issue of the Blade went to press Thursday morning, so it's possible that the House got its act together and passed the bill since I wrote this. But that doesn't change the fact that the process has been an embarrassing, amateurish mess.We've watched as sponsors of the bill moved to obstruct its passage. Delegates who raked in gay money during their campaigns suddenly got cold feet and had to pray over the issue. The LGBT Caucus in the House - now seven members strong after Del. Peter Murphy came out in an exclusive Blade interview - seemed invisible compared to the leadership demonstrated by Sen. Rich Madaleno during the Senate debate and vote.
A couple of political careers likely imploded during this process, including those of Dels. Jill Carter (D-Baltimore City) and Sam Arora (D-Montgomery County). Carter and Del. Tiffany Alston stunned backers of the Civil Marriage Protection Act by staying away from a meeting of the House Judiciary Committee in which a vote on the marriage bill was scheduled to take place, and announced they would not vote on the measure until Democratic leaders paid more attention to other issues they feel are equally important. Both Carter and Alston are co-sponsors of the marriage bill. Where was House Speaker Michael Busch when we needed him to keep these selfish renegades in line?
And Arora, who campaigned as a supporter of marriage equality and accepted financial contributions from LGBT people across the state and beyond, also yanked his support, triggering a flood of angry responses on his Facebook page and calls for him to refund those donations. Arora represents liberal Montgomery County. And his betrayal represents the end of his young political career...
Kevin Naff ends his piece by laying blame on the "sloppy handling of the issue by the House leadership" as to why the bill didn't pass into law.
There's more in The Blade's article -- it's worth a look. He also has some commentary on the gender identity civil rights bill in his piece as well -- that commentary will no double anger some in the trans blogosphere.
Earthquake And Tsunami Hits Japan ... Watching It Live As It Happened
Last night after getting in from work I did my usual, make a cup of Joe, turn on MSNBC to watch the midnight (ET) repeat of Rachel Maddow, fire up the PC to check email, blogs, etc. and decide what, if anything, to post at Focus On The Rainbow.
Usually after Maddow I flip over to CNN to catch the AC360 replay but stayed with MSNBC for a while to watch Ed Shultz, then after a few minutes turned on CNN and I could not believe what I was watching.
At that point less than an hour after the quake hit Japan, CNN was mirroring coverage from NHK which when I first turned it on was showing video replays of the quake from both inside and outside perspectives and a replay of what turned out to be the first tsunami wave.
After a while there was helicopter coverage of a tsunami wave cutting across agriculture land and watching this live was heart stopping. Then after many minutes of coverage another helicopter was panning yet another battery of tsunami waves heading towards the shore.
Seeing vehicles on roads driving but only allowed the pre-determined route of escape where the roadway took them and with viewers full knowing from the wide angle shot that there was going to be no escape for the people in the vehicles it was both surreal and heart breaking at the same time. Much like watching an Alfred Hitchcock movie knowing in advance what was to become of the characters in the movie.
But this was no movie nor CGI special effects, it was live, in the moment and very, very real.
Later when coverage was discussing where and how the tsunami would affect the Pacific region I went back on the PC and went to the websites of TV stations in Hawaii to watch their live coverage of tsunami warnings for the islands.
I've seen alot of things both as a reporter and a casual observer over the years.
I remember the day the bells starting ringing on the old AP wire machine when breaking news was moving across the wire that US military aircraft had an incident in the desert which were part of an operation to Iran to rescue the Iranian hostages. The events of 9/11 are forever part of my collective memory. And now the images of tsunami waves heading towards unsuspecting and helpless people will forever remain.
I finally turned off the TV and went to bed about 5:30 AM.
Needless to say I didn't sleep very well.
NY Post outs closeted corrupt dirtbag Brooklyn State Senator Carl Kruger
Closeted Brooklyn state Sen. Carl Kruger, a Democratic powerhouse, traded political favors for more than $1 million in bribes over the last five years -- which his live-in boyfriend helped launder, the feds charged yesterday.People like Kruger are damaged, self-loathing individuals who are in serious need of therapy, not deciding the fate of the public - or the taxpayer till. You have to read the whole sordid NYP article; it's disgusting.Kruger and his secret longtime companion, Manhattan gynecologist Michael Turano, were among eight men arrested in a sweeping government "pay-to-play" corruption scandal.
The charges include allegations that Kruger, Brooklyn Assemblyman William Boyland and previously convicted Queens Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio -- who died in prison in January -- received bribes and other largesse to help two competing health-care companies buy hospitals, and direct state funds to those firms.
Magnitude 8.9 offshore quake + tsunami kills hundreds in Japan...plus a FB check-in with Sachi
A ferocious tsunami spawned by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded slammed Japan's eastern coast Friday, killing hundreds of people as it swept away boats, cars and homes while widespread fires burned out of control.At 6:45 PT (AP):Hours later, the tsunami hit Hawaii and warnings blanketed the Pacific, putting areas on alert as far away as South America, Canada, Alaska and the entire U.S. West Coast. In Japan, the area around a nuclear power plant in the northeast was evacuated after the reactor's cooling system failed.
Police said 200 to 300 bodies were found in the northeastern coastal city of Sendai, the city in Miyagi prefecture (state) closest to the quake's epicenter. Another 88 were confirmed killed and at least 349 were missing. The death toll was likely to continue climbing given the scale of the disaster.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said Kauai was the first of the Hawaiian islands hit by the tsunami. Water rushed ashore in Honolulu, swamping the beach in Waikiki and surging over the break wall in the world-famous resort but stopping short of the area's high-rise hotels.A check-in with SachiWaves about 6 feet high were recorded on Maui, and 3 feet in Oahu and Kauai. Officials warned that the waves would continue and could become larger, but a scientist at the tsunami warning center said it didn't appear that they would cause major damage in Hawaii.
When I first woke up and turned on the TV and heard the news, I immediately thought of my friend (and fellow Journey fan) Sachiko Kichijima. We met for the first time in Las Vegas to see the band kick off its 2011-2012 word tour at Planet Hollywood. She was the belle of the ball as she was the fan who journeyed the longest distance (a 24-hour series of flights) to see the group. (And you think I'm crazy about Journey -- Sachiko has seen the group at least 30 times, going back to the 70s Steve Perry era)! I hopped on Facebook and posted a note.
Sachi, I just got up and saw the news and immediately thought about my "long lost sis" overseas. The fires and damage reports look awful. Good thoughts to those in the path of danger to stay safe.Fortunately, Sachi and her family are safe; in her part of the country (she's in a small town between Tokyo and Osaka) she said there was not a lot of shaking or damage; she still had power and was watching the tragedy unfold in her country. She later posted:
Thank you so much for you thoughtful concern. At least my family, our fellow Japan plokkers and I are safe and Ok. Hope the Tsunami won't affect the west coast of USA."Plokkers", btw, is a reference to Journey fans who frequent the chat room of the Arnel Pineda Rocks web site where the frontman visits from time to time. There was an outpouring of inquiries and support on Sachi's Facebook page from the Plokkers, all wanting to know that she was out of harm's way....
Thanks again for the prayers, thoughts and concern, my sweet FB/APR friends arond the world. Please take care/Ingat po. Now my thoughts go to the affected places and people. It seems to be one of the longest and saddest night in the history in Japan
It's just a reminder how much smaller the world has become with the age of the Internet. I was able to follow the news in the moment as it ran across my Hootsuite page of Twitter feeds. In so many ways, traditional blogging is even too slow to convey the instant emotion; we're dependent on microblogging -- FB and Twitter -- to connect in real time.
March 10, 2011
'Is your children learning': Ohio classroom's mock slave auction humiliates black fifth-grader
The case of a black boy in Ohio who felt humiliated after being assigned to participate in a mock slave auction exposes a number of flaws in our education system. Nikko Burton's fifth-grade class in Columbus, Ohio, was divided into "masters and slaves" as part of a social studies lesson about slavery. The 10-year-old black student, who was put in the slave group, says that students playing the masters would "look in your mouth and feel your legs and stuff and see if you're strong."THANK YOU. Why, oh why is it so difficult to simply teach the history of slavery in this country in a way that it challenges kids to think. Acting out this tragic moment in history - complete with racial division into the slave/master dynamic at any level is so absurd and offensive it's almost beyond comprehension."His mom, understandably, was furious," according to the Daily News. " 'He felt degraded,' she told the television station. 'I feel like that was totally inappropriate; it was racist and it was degrading.' "
...The problem with this kind of teaching, and the damage it can do to children like Nikko, goes far beyond the humiliation he experienced in the slave-master exercise. Although students may have different learning styles, we must focus on teaching children like Nikko to write, to express themselves and to convince others if they are going to graduate and succeed in the workplace. "Soft" lessons are a copout. Why aren't we asking students to read, discuss or write analytically in every class, every day?
Later in the piece, it gets to the heart of the real problem, something clearly over the head of the lazy Ohio educator in this incident.
According to Yes We Can: The Schott 50 State Report on Public Education and Black Males, the Ohioan black male high school graduation rate for the 2007-2008 school year was 41 percent, while the white male rate was 78 percent. Overall, only 56 percent of black students in Ohio graduate from high school within four years, while 84 percent of whites graduate within the same time frame.
The President and First Lady spearhead White House Conference on Bullying Prevention
The President was joined by First Lady Michelle Obama on stage, who gave her own opening remarks:
So as parents, we know we need to make a real effort to be engaged in our children's lives, to listen to them and be there for them when they need us. We need to get involved in their schools and in their activities so that we know what they're up to, both in and out of the classroom. And when something is wrong, we need to speak up, and we need to take action.NOTE: There is a presser at 2:30 ET:That's just what Jacqui Knight did. She's a mom from Moore, Oklahoma, who's here with us today. We got a chance to spend some time with her before. But when her child was bullied, she got together with other parents and planned community meetings where parents and students could share their stories. They also held meetings for the public to raise awareness about bullying. And they've been meeting with the school board and superintendent to discuss steps that they can take to keep their kids safe.
But parents aren't the only ones who have a responsibility. We all need to play a role -- as teachers, coaches, as faith leaders, elected officials, and anyone who's involved in our children's lives. And that doesn't just mean working to change our kids' behavior and recognize and reward kids who are already doing the right thing. It means thinking about our own behavior as adults as well.
Sen. Franken, Rep. Polis to Announce Reintroduction of Bill to Prevent Bullying of LGBT Students
Al Franken (D-Minn.) and U.S. Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) will hold a press conference at 2:30 pm in room SVC 208 in the Capitol Visitor Center to announce that they will be reintroducing legislation that would help protect public school students from bullying, harassment, and discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. They will be joined by a representative from the Human Rights Campaign and Wendy Walsh, whose 13-year-old son, Seth, took his own life after being bullied at school.Watch the events live below the fold as well as the White House statement and anti-bullying resources.WHO: Sen. Al Franken, Rep. Jared Polis, Wendy Walsh, and a representative from the Human Rights Campaign
WHAT: Press Conference to announce reintroduction of the Student Non-Discrimination Act
WHEN: Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 2:30 pm EST
WHERE: Capitol Visitor Center - SVC-208The legislation, called the Student Non-Discrimination Act, was originally introduced in the last Congress by Sen. Franken in the Senate and Rep. Polis in the House of Representatives and garnered 31 cosponsors in the Senate and 126 in the House. The bill would forbid schools from discriminating against LGBT students or ignoring harassing behavior. Fifty years of civil rights history show that similar laws are effective in reducing and addressing discrimination. Like other civil rights laws, the legislation would prompt schools to avoid liability by taking proactive steps to prevent the discrimination and bullying of students protected by the bill.
The full remarks of the President and First Lady:
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 10, 2011President and First Lady Call For a United Effort to Address Bullying
White House Highlights Private, Non-Profit, and Federal Commitments to Bullying Prevention
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the President and First Lady called for a united effort to address bullying at the White House Conference on Bullying Prevention. Approximately 150 students, parents, teachers, non-profit leaders, advocates, and policymakers came together to discuss how they can work together to make our schools and communities safe for all students.
"If there's one goal of this conference, it's to dispel the myth that bullying is just a harmless rite of passage or an inevitable part of growing up. It's not," said President Obama. "Bullying can have destructive consequences for our young people. And it's not something we have to accept. As parents and students; teachers and communities, we can take steps that will help prevent bullying and create a climate in our schools in which all of our children can feel safe."
"As parents, this issue really hits home for us. It breaks our hearts to think that any child feels afraid every day in the classroom, on the playground, or even online," First Lady Michelle Obama said. "I hope that all of you - and everyone watching online - will walk away from this conference with new ideas and solutions that you can take back to your own schools and communities."
Every day, thousands of children, teens, and young adults around the country are bullied. Estimates are that nearly one-third of all school-aged children are bullied each year - upwards of 13 million students. Students involved in bullying are more likely to have challenges in school, to abuse drugs and alcohol, and to have health and mental health issues. If we fail to address bullying we put ourselves at a disadvantage for increasing academic achievement and making sure all of our students are college and career ready.
The conference encouraged schools, communities, and the private sector to join together to combat bullying. Today the White House also highlighted private, non-profit, and federal commitments to bullying prevention.
Public-Private Partnerships, Commitments and Activities
Formspring and Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Formspring is a social network with over 22 million members, and is working with The MIT Media Lab, to develop new approaches to detect online bullying, and designing interfaces which help prevent it or mitigate it when it does occur. This approach uses a collection of common sense knowledge and reasoning techniques from artificial intelligence to understand online bullying at a deeper level than just words. MIT Media Lab and Formspring hope to build self-reflective interfaces that encourage social network participants to think sensibly about their behavior and suggest alternatives and coping strategies. Unlike spam filters, which work by collecting statistics on occurrences of particular words, the new MIT Media Lab and Formspring approach seeks to understand the intent behind the words. In addition, Formspring will discuss their corporate commitment to discovering & supporting the most advanced and meaningful technological innovations that can identify and curb online bullying and harassment.MTV Networks: "A THIN LINE"
As part of MTV's multi-year, award-winning A THIN LINE campaign, the network will launch a new anti-digital discrimination coalition, which will work with MTV to fight bullying and intolerance online (in partnership with the National Council of La Raza, Anti-Defamation League, Council on American-Islamic Relations, and GLAAD). MTV will also announce the forthcoming premiere of a poignant new feature film inspired by the true, tragic tale of Abraham Biggs - a 19-year-old who battled bipolar disorder and ultimately webcast his suicide after being egged on by a digital mob. The film will illustrate what can happen when we forget there's a person on the other side of the screen, and serve as a powerful call to action to fight the spread of digital abuse. The network plans six new cyberbullying and digital discrimination public service announcements, encouraging bullying bystanders to support their friends, connect victims of digital abuse to resources, and drive home the serious impact typewritten words can have.
Facebook will unveil two new safety features in the coming weeks: a revamped multimedia Safety Center to incorporate multimedia, external resources from renowned experts, and downloadable information for teens. Additionally, they will create a new "Social Reporting" system to enable people to report content that violates Facebook policies so that it can be removed as soon as possible, while notifying parents or teachers of the content so that the reasons for its posting can be addressed.SurveyMonkey: www.surveymonkey.com/bullying
SurveyMonkey-a "do-it-yourself" survey tool-allows anyone to survey people quickly and easily. More than 100 million people are interviewed in the education space each. The familiarity with the application, combined with its ease of use, create an opportunity to help students and administrators alike to use SurveyMonkey to collect information about the prevalence of bullying in schools. To facilitate data collection, SurveyMonkey has created a dedicated page for bullying detection which includes a 10 question survey that students can adopt in order to distribute and disseminate via email, on fliers, through Facebook, and elsewhere. The application is free to use.National Education Association: "Bully-Free: It Starts with Me."
The National Education Association (NEA) is launching a nationwide anti-bullying campaign entitled Bully-Free: It Starts with Me. Through this new online campaign, the NEA will identify and support caring adults in each school who will listen and act on behalf of bullied students in schools across America. The NEA will invite its members to join the campaign and will work to extend the campaign to the broader community. NEA will also release a new study on bullying in schools - based on a survey of more than 5,000 educators. Findings from the National Education Association's Nationwide Study of Bullying: Teachers' and Education Support Professionals' Perspectives represents the first nationwide study of teachers' and education support professionals' perspectives on bullying and bullying prevention efforts.American Federation of Teachers: "See a Bully, Stop a Bully, Make a Difference"
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is launching a national bullying campaign, See a Bully, Stop a Bully. Make a Difference, focused on raising bullying awareness and providing resources, training, and technical assistance for leaders and members. AFT will be hosting regional summits, holding a series of topical webinars, and developing new materials for the campaign, and incorporating it into their Back to School efforts. AFT is also working with various organizations including America's Promise Alliance, the national PTA, AASA, GLAAD, NASP, ASCA, NEA, and GLSEN to amplify an anti-bullying message. The AFT has accelerated their efforts during the fall of 2010 in response to heightened awareness of bullying as well as the federal guidance issued by the Department of Education detailing the obligations of local school districts and state education departments to address bullying.National PTA: "Connect for Respect"
National PTA is launching a campaign called Connect for Respect, asking PTAs nationwide to host a Connect for Respect event in their communities and to share resources with parents about bullying in the schools they serve. The campaign will also encourage parents to talk to their child about bullying and to advocate for policies and practices that create a safe school climate for all children. PTA will launch a communications campaign to promote Connect for Respect with PTA leaders and members across the country. PTA will issue five tip sheets for PTAs and for parents to increase their understanding of bullying, how to prevent it, and how to recognize if your child is the bully; create tools to share how to create a Connect for Respect event; and re-launch PTA.org/bullying, which will house all of the PTA resources.National Association of Student Councils: "Raising Student Voice and Participation Bullying Challenge"
The National Association of Student Councils (NASC) declares its commitment to foster a national student-led conversation and call to action utilizing its Raising Student Voice & Participation (RSVP) process. Through RSVP, student councils can lead student summits to identify strategies and projects that address the problem of bullying. NASC will also involve its sister organizations, the National Honor Society (NHS) and National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) expanding its outreach to some 33,000 student groups in middle level and high schools around the nation. The NASC Raising Student Voice and Participation (RSVP) process was launched during the 2006-2007 school year.National School Boards Association: "Students on Board for Bullying Prevention"
The National School Boards Association (NSBA) will launch a series of student conversations between boards of education and students in middle and high school. The conversations will be about the climate in their schools, and will be guided by questions from the research-based school climate surveys developed by the Council of Urban Boards of Education and by the Pearson Foundation's Million Voices project.The Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention
Early in the Obama Administration, six federal agencies (Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Justice, Defense, Agriculture, and Interior) joined together to establish the Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention Steering Committee to explore ways to provide guidance for individuals and organizations in combating bullying. This interagency group was recently joined by the National Council on Disability and the Federal Trade Commission. In August of last year, the Steering Committee brought together non-profit leaders, researchers, parents, and youth to begin the national discussion and identify issues requiring additional guidance and clarification. Since that convening, the Steering Committee has focused on the following activities:
* StopBullying.gov: This website will launch at today's Conference to provide information from various government agencies on how children, teens, young adults, parents, educators and others in the community can prevent or stop bullying. The website will provide information on what bullying is, its risk factors, its warning signs and its effects. It will also provide details on how to get help for those that have been victimized by bullying.
* Enforcing Civil Rights Laws: Last October, the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights issued guidance as a "Dear Colleague" letter to clarify issues of bullying and violation of federal education anti-discrimination laws. The guidance explains educators' legal obligations to protect students from student-on-student racial and national origin harassment, sexual and gender-based harassment, and disability harassment.
* Shaping State Laws and Policies: In December of last year, Secretary Duncan issued a memo to Governors and Chief State School Officers in each state providing technical assistance and outlining key components of comprehensive and effective state anti-bullying laws and policies.
In addition to the Steering Committee's work, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has also created the Stop Bullying Now! Campaign to raise awareness about bullying; prevent and reduce bullying behaviors; identify interventions and strategies; and encourage and strengthen partnerships. SBN was developed by a steering committee and implementation work group that included more than seventy organizations from in and out of government. The campaign covers ages five to eighteen years old, and includes tool kits to encourage and empower youth to mentor younger children to take action again bullying.
The Department of Education's Safe and Supportive Schools competitive grant program requires recipient states to measure school safety, which includes issues of bullying and harassment, at the building level by surveying students. Federal funds are available for interventions in those schools identified as having the greatest need. The Department of Education has awarded grants to 11 States for activities under this program.
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
______________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release March 10, 2011REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AND FIRST LADY
AT THE WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON BULLYING PREVENTIONEast Room
10:25 A.M. EST
MRS. OBAMA: Good morning. Thank you. (Applause.) Everyone, please. Good morning, and welcome to the White House.
I want to thank all of you for joining us here today to discuss an issue of great concern to me and to Barack, not just as President and as First Lady, but as a mom and a dad. And that is the problem of bullying in our schools and in our communities.
As parents, this issue really hits home for us. As parents, it breaks our hearts to think that any child feels afraid every day in the classroom, or on the playground, or even online. It breaks our hearts to think about any parent losing a child to bullying, or just wondering whether their kids will be safe when they leave for school in the morning.
And as parents, Barack and I also know that sometimes, maybe even a lot of the time, it's really hard for parents to know what's going on in our kids' lives.
We don't always know, because they don't always tell us every little detail. We know that from Sasha. Sasha's response is -- "What happened at school today?" "Nothing." (Laughter.) That's it. It's like, well, we're taking you out of that school. (Laughter.)
So as parents, we know we need to make a real effort to be engaged in our children's lives, to listen to them and be there for them when they need us. We need to get involved in their schools and in their activities so that we know what they're up to, both in and out of the classroom. And when something is wrong, we need to speak up, and we need to take action.
That's just what Jacqui Knight did. She's a mom from Moore, Oklahoma, who's here with us today. We got a chance to spend some time with her before. But when her child was bullied, she got together with other parents and planned community meetings where parents and students could share their stories. They also held meetings for the public to raise awareness about bullying. And they've been meeting with the school board and superintendent to discuss steps that they can take to keep their kids safe.
But parents aren't the only ones who have a responsibility. We all need to play a role -- as teachers, coaches, as faith leaders, elected officials, and anyone who's involved in our children's lives. And that doesn't just mean working to change our kids' behavior and recognize and reward kids who are already doing the right thing. It means thinking about our own behavior as adults as well.
We all know that when we, as adults, treat others with compassion and respect, when we take the time to listen and give each other the benefit of the doubt in our own adult lives, that sets an example for our children. It sends a message to our kids about how they treat others.
So we all have a lot of work to do in this country on this issue. And I hope that all of you, and everyone who is watching online, will walk away from this day, from this conference, with new ideas and solutions that you can all take back to your own schools and your own communities. And I hope that all of us will step up and do our part to keep our kids safe, and to give them everything they need to learn and grow and fulfill their dreams.
So with that, it is my pleasure to introduce this guy here -- (laughter) -- my husband and our President, President Barack Obama. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you, everybody. Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. Well, welcome to the White House. I want to thank Michelle for her introduction, and for marrying me -- (laughter) -- and for putting up with me.
I want to reiterate what Michelle said. Preventing bullying isn't just important to us as President and First Lady; it's important for us as parents -- something we care deeply about.
We're joined here by several members of Congress who've shown real leadership in taking up this cause. We've got a number of members of my administration with us today who are going to help us head up the efforts that come out of the White House on this issue. And I want to point out Judge Katherine O'Malley, the First Lady of Maryland. She is right here -- Katherine. (Applause.) Thank you for being here. Thank you all for being here. You have a chance to make an enormous difference, and you already have.
Bullying isn't a problem that makes headlines every day. But every day it touches the lives of young people all across this country. I want to thank all of you for participating in this conference. But more importantly, I want to thank you for being part of what's a growing movement -- led by young people themselves -- to put a stop to bullying, whether it takes place in school or it's taking place online.
And that's why we're here today. If there's one goal of this conference, it's to dispel the myth that bullying is just a harmless rite of passage or an inevitable part of growing up. It's not. Bullying can have destructive consequences for our young people. And it's not something we have to accept. As parents and students, as teachers and members of the community, we can take steps -- all of us -- to help prevent bullying and create a climate in our schools in which all of our children can feel safe; a climate in which they all can feel like they belong.
As adults, we all remember what it was like to see kids picked on in the hallways or in the schoolyard. And I have to say, with big ears and the name that I have, I wasn't immune. (Laughter.) I didn't emerge unscathed. But because it's something that happens a lot, and it's something that's always been around, sometimes we've turned a blind eye to the problem. We've said, "Kids will be kids." And so sometimes we overlook the real damage that bullying can do, especially when young people face harassment day after day, week after week.
So consider these statistics. A third of middle school and high school students have reported being bullied during the school year. Almost 3 million students have said they were pushed, shoved, tripped, even spit on. It's also more likely to affect kids that are seen as different, whether it's because of the color of their skin, the clothes they wear, the disability they may have, or sexual orientation.
And bullying has been shown to lead to absences and poor performance in the classroom. And that alone should give us pause, since no child should be afraid to go to school in this country.
Today, bullying doesn't even end at the school bell -- it can follow our children from the hallways to their cell phones to their computer screens. And in recent months, a series of tragedies has drawn attention to just how devastating bullying can be. We have just been heartbroken by the stories of young people who endured harassment and ridicule day after day at school, and who ultimately took their own lives. These were kids brimming with promise -- kids like Ty Field, kids like Carl Walker-Hoover -- who should have felt nothing but excitement for the future. Instead, they felt like they had nowhere to turn, as if they had no escape from taunting and bullying that made school something they feared. I want to recognize Ty's mom and dad who are here today; Carl's mother and sister who are here today. They've shown incredible courage as advocates against bullying in memory of the sons and the brother that they've lost. And so we're so proud of them and we're grateful to them for being here today. (Applause.)
No family should have to go through what these families have gone through. No child should feel that alone. We've got to make sure our young people know that if they're in trouble, there are caring adults who can help and young adults that can help; that even if they're having a tough time, they're going to get through it, and there's a whole world full of possibility waiting for them. We also have to make sure we're doing everything we can so that no child is in that position in the first place. And this is a responsibility we all share -- a responsibility we have to teach all children the Golden Rule: We should treat others the way we want to be treated.
The good news is, people are stepping up and accepting responsibility. They're refusing to turn a blind eye to this problem. The PTA is launching a new campaign to get resources and information into the hands of parents. MTV is leading a new coalition to fight bullying online, and they're launching a series of ads to talk about the damage that's done when kids are bullied for the color of their skin or their religion or being gay or just being who they are. Others are leading their own efforts here today. And across the country, parents and students and teachers at the local level are taking action as well. They're fighting not only to change rules and policies, but also to create a stronger sense of community and respect in their schools.
Joining this conference today is a young man I just had a chance to meet, Brandon Greene from Rhode Island. Brandon is 14 years old. Back in 6th grade, when he was just a kid, he did a class project on bullying. Now, two years later, it's a school-wide organization with 80 members. They do monthly surveys in their school to track bullying rates. And what they realized is that stopping bullying isn't just about preventing bad behavior -- it's also about working together and creating a positive atmosphere. So Brandon and his fellow committee members are now also doing activities like coat drives and community service at their school. And it's making a real difference. So we're very proud of Brandon and the great work he's doing. (Applause.)
There are stories like this all across the country, where young people and their schools have refused to accept the status quo. And I want you all to know that you have a partner in the White House. As the former head of Chicago's public schools, nobody understands this issue better than my Education Secretary, Arne Duncan. He's going to be working on it, along with our Health Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius. Arne is going to head up our administration's efforts, which began last year with a first-of-its-kind summit on bullying.
And we're also launching a new resource called stopbullying.gov, which has more information for parents and for teachers. And as part of our education reform efforts, we're encouraging schools to ask students themselves about school safety and how we can address bullying and other related problems -- because, as every parent knows, sometimes the best way to find out what's happening with our kids is to ask, even if you have to -- if it's in the case of Sasha, you have to keep on asking. (Laughter.)
Now, as adults, we can lose sight of how hard it can be sometimes to be a kid. And it's easy for us to forget what it was like to be teased or bullied. But it's also easy to forget the natural compassion and the sense of decency that our children display each and every day -- when they're given a chance.
A couple other young people that I just had a chance to meet -- Sarah and Emily Buder, who are here from California. They're right here next to the First Lady. And Sarah and Emily, they read a story about a girl named Olivia in a nearby town -- this is a girl they didn't know -- who had faced a lot of cruel taunting in school and online because she had had an epileptic seizure in class. So they decided to write Olivia a letter, and asked their friends to do the same.
They figured they'd send Olivia about 50 letters. But in the months that followed, thousands and thousands of letters poured in from every corner of the country -- it really tapped into something. A lot of the letters were from young people, and they wanted to wish Olivia well, and let her know that somebody out there was talking -- was thinking about her, and let her know that she wasn't alone. And because those children treated Olivia with that small measure of kindness, it helped Olivia see that there was light at the end of the tunnel.
The fact is, sometimes kids are going to make mistakes, sometimes they're going to make bad decisions. That's part of growing up. But it's our job to be there for them, to guide them, and to ensure that they can grow up in an environment that not only encourages their talents and intelligence, but also their sense of empathy and their regard for one another.
And that's what ultimately this conference is all about. And that's why all the issues that we're talking about really matter. And that's how we're going to prevent bullying and create an environment where every single one of our children can thrive.
So thank you for the good work that you're already doing, and I'm sure you're going to come up with some terrific ideas during the course of this conference. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
END 10:40 A.M. EST
Removing Public Accommodation From Maryland's Gender Identity Bill Didn't Stop "Bathroom Bill" Talk
Apparently, removing public accommodation language from the HB 235, the Human Relations - Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity - Antidiscrimination bill, didn't stave off the "bathroom bill" arguments by those who are against ordinary equality for transgender people.
From Metro Weekly's Discrimination Debate; Maryland House Committee Fields Testimony On Bill To Protect Transgender Community on March 9th's House Health and Government Operations Committee hearing on the bill (emphasis added):
...Similar legislation, which included protections for transgender people with regard to Maryland public accommodations, has failed in the past. Yet despite the current bill's exclusion of public accommodations, the opposition's arguments have changed little: Such nondiscrimination legislation would confuse children and enable male pedophiles and rapists by allowing them access to women's bathrooms."I had questions with my own sexuality, until God said 'You're a man, put away these childhood things,'" testified Robert Broadus, a Marylander opposing the legislation. "Don't invade our rights to tell our children what we believe. ... We believe that a man should be a man and a woman should be a woman."
Elaine McDermott, of Maryland Citizens for a Responsible Government, said the bill will lead to unintended consequences.
"This bill is a friend to males with ill intentions," McDermott she said, adding, "HB 235 robs me of my right to safety and privacy."
The majority of Maryland's Democratic legislators on the House Health and Government Operations Committee who stripped the public accommodation provisions from the gender identity civil rights bill didn't quell the "bathroom bill" arguments, although that was the argument for removing the public accommodation language.
So what did LGBT community members in Maryland -- especially the transgender members of the LGBT community in Maryland -- actually get for the removal of the public accommodation language from the Human Relations - Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity - Antidiscrimination bill?
What we were gifted by the majority of the Democrats on the Maryland House Health and Government Operations Committee was community division.
It's truly insulting that legislators and a state equality organization would consent to a bill that does not include provisions that protect transgender or gender non-conforming citizens to be in public spaces.
It's insulting that we are being forced to fight for legislation to simply allow our friends and neighbors to walk into a restaurant, to use the bathroom, or to take their own children to a park without freedom from harassment.
And it's insulting that, yet again, the LGBT community is being divided by those in power and, thus, ensuring that "equality" legislation is again keeping our community down.
Once again, in the name of "equality" legislation, our community is not only being divided, but is also being complicit in that division -- using "the master's tools to dismantle the master's house." Whatever yours or my stance on this particular piece of legislation, we cannot continue to allow those in power to divide us.
This piece of gender identity based equality legislation is insulting -- and it will also save lives. It will ensure gender non-discrimination in the workplace and in housing -- including homeless shelters. For many who are on the streets, those protections cannot wait. They cannot wait until a better bill is introduced, and they cannot wait until we break through the transphobia lurking within the halls of state legislatures.
I'm with GetEQUAL, and I'm reluctantly -- and with excruciating pangs of frustration -- suggesting that GetEQUAL support this gender identity civil rights bill -- this bill that doesn't include public accommodation antidiscrimination language. I know that some folks will hate me for my position, and will hate GetEQUAL if GetEQUAL adopts the position I'm advocating.
And, I know too that some folks will appreciate I'm supporting this bill, as crappy as this bill is.
But what I really hope is that this becomes a time for us to realize we need rally together in the future rather than to tear one another apart -- as we in transgender community, as well as in broader LGBT community, are famous for doing. As long as we continue to play into the division dealt to us by legislators that has stymied us for so long, we will continue to fight for scraps of equality rather than the full banquet that we deserve.
We cannot allow Maryland's legislators to get away with dividing us again and again, year after year. This has to end this year; we must fight for LGBT community civil rights from the position of moral authority that we have when we fight for ordinary equality...when we fight for civil rights.
Next year, I strongly believe we in LGBT community need to employ frequent use of the Gender Odyssey Model as a comprehensive strategy to battle the bathroom bill meme.
I said it before, I'll say it again: The LGBT community has ceded the "bathroom bill" argument without a fight. And let me add that in ceding the argument, we have allowed others to divide our community. We in community must say, in solidarity, "Never again!"
It is possible to become discouraged about the injustice we see everywhere. But God did not promise us that the world would be humane and just. He gives us the gift of life and allows us to choose the way we will use our limited time on earth. It is an awesome opportunity.~Cesar Chavez
~~~~~
Related:
* The Equality Maryland Press Release on The Gender Identity Bill
* Delegate Mary Washington's Testimony On The Maryland's Gender Identity Bill
* Senator Rich Madaleno's Statement On HB 235 - The Gender Identity Civil Rights Bill
* Sen. Madaleno's Continued Silence To His Constituents On Maryland's Gender Identity Bill
* Maryland's Seven LGBT Legislators Need To Speak Out As A Caucus For Transgender Equality
* Gender Identity Anti-Discrimination bill introduced in Maryland House
* ENDA: The LGBT Community Has Ceded The "Bathroom Bill" Argument Without A Fight
* ENDA: An 800-Pound Transgender Elephant - With Issues - In The Room
* Guest column by Kerry Eleveld - The False Choice: ENDA v. Marriage Equality
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