Blogging Against Bullying
Does anyone know of any anti-bullying sites for kids, LGBTQ or otherwise, that don't live in the United States? I've been trying to find sites for kids that live in Canada, in Europe, in Central and South America, and so on, and I can't find anything that isn't based in America. And while America definitely needs a lot of help, I can't think that America is the only country where bullied kids are suffering.
ETA: lilacsigil mentioned the Australia-based Kids' Helpline, which has a sexuality page and a lot of other anti-bullying and kid/teen-empowering information, plus a free helpline. It also has links to GLBT-specific helplines.
ETA2: law_nerd says, "Canada has a Kids Help line as well... http://www.kidshelpphone.ca/teens/home/splash.aspx. I know they've been active in the GLBTQ communities, doing outreach. And they have anti-bullying info."
Continuing story: Katie Babs/KB, who is doing something about the recent rash of teen suicides due to bullying and cyberbullying. She's made a post about them and has pledged that for every comment she gets, up to 775, she'll donate a dollar to an organization dedicated to helping kids. Half will go to the Trevor Project; half to the Matthew Shepherd Foundation. (She upped it from 500, which is what it was yesterday.)
More links:
For the love of God, read Hatred in the Hallways: Violence and Discrimination Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Students in U.S. Schools. And oh, yes, it does mention what lesbian and bi girls and what transgender kids go through, as well as the gay boys. In detail.
[Y]oung lesbians and bisexual girls are harassed in ways that may be different from but often no less serious than the abuse faced by gay and bisexual boys. "Gay men get more physical threats; female students are more likely to get sexually harassed and be threatened with sexual violence. We'll hear things like, `I can make you straight' or `Why don't you get some of your girlfriends and we can have a party,'" Dahlia P. told us.
"Girls in my school expect to be harassed," explained Sabrina L. "The boys mess with us all the time-I don't even think most of the time that I get it worse because I am a lesbian. But we know not to say anything-it's like, unless you've been raped the administration doesn't want to know about it. They'll just say you are lying," Halona T. told us. "It would have to be really bad before I would even try to tell anyone."
And trans kids have it even worse, because they're getting it not only from their peers but from the teachers and administrations:
A teacher in West Texas described the case of one very young transgender student who wore purple and pink to school. The student had a circle of friends who managed to protect her from her peers, but they could not protect her from the teachers. Upset with her behavior, her teachers began to humiliate and embarrass her, telling her to "quit acting like a girl."
Joe Saldimini, a teacher in the Out Adolescents Staying in Schools (OASIS) program in Los Angeles, gave us a similar account of teachers humiliating a seventh grader who later identified as transgender. "One called her a faggot and told her she wouldn't have any problems if she only acted like a boy. The teacher would embarrass her in front of all the kids and call her a sissy," he reported, adding that at least one other teacher in the student's school was "very helpful."
Pam Spaulding: Young people find that "being themselves" is not always well-received by an important slice of their world -- school administrators, children who bully, and even teachers who subscribe to the "toughen up" philosophy. Who creates the bully? Who is accountable?
Brittany Snow And MTV Launch 'Love Is Louder' After Recent Suicides.
(And I love the fact that the actress who played Amber Von Tussle in Hairspray is advocating for people who do not fit the norm and need acceptance. If ever anyone needed proof that actors are not their roles...this is it.)
Actress and stand-up comedienne Kathy Griffin announced on Twitter a couple of hours ago that she's donating her entire salary from her Dec 16 show at the Gibson Ampitheatre to The Trevor Project. And here's a YouTube vid by her as well:
Cyndi Lauper also made a video, speaking out against bullying and in favor of
http://www.wegiveadamn.org/, which sounds like an excellent organization, both for LGBTQ people and for allies:
ETA: lilacsigil mentioned the Australia-based Kids' Helpline, which has a sexuality page and a lot of other anti-bullying and kid/teen-empowering information, plus a free helpline. It also has links to GLBT-specific helplines.
ETA2: law_nerd says, "Canada has a Kids Help line as well... http://www.kidshelpphone.ca/teens/home/splash.aspx. I know they've been active in the GLBTQ communities, doing outreach. And they have anti-bullying info."
Continuing story: Katie Babs/KB, who is doing something about the recent rash of teen suicides due to bullying and cyberbullying. She's made a post about them and has pledged that for every comment she gets, up to 775, she'll donate a dollar to an organization dedicated to helping kids. Half will go to the Trevor Project; half to the Matthew Shepherd Foundation. (She upped it from 500, which is what it was yesterday.)
More links:
For the love of God, read Hatred in the Hallways: Violence and Discrimination Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Students in U.S. Schools. And oh, yes, it does mention what lesbian and bi girls and what transgender kids go through, as well as the gay boys. In detail.
[Y]oung lesbians and bisexual girls are harassed in ways that may be different from but often no less serious than the abuse faced by gay and bisexual boys. "Gay men get more physical threats; female students are more likely to get sexually harassed and be threatened with sexual violence. We'll hear things like, `I can make you straight' or `Why don't you get some of your girlfriends and we can have a party,'" Dahlia P. told us.
"Girls in my school expect to be harassed," explained Sabrina L. "The boys mess with us all the time-I don't even think most of the time that I get it worse because I am a lesbian. But we know not to say anything-it's like, unless you've been raped the administration doesn't want to know about it. They'll just say you are lying," Halona T. told us. "It would have to be really bad before I would even try to tell anyone."
And trans kids have it even worse, because they're getting it not only from their peers but from the teachers and administrations:
A teacher in West Texas described the case of one very young transgender student who wore purple and pink to school. The student had a circle of friends who managed to protect her from her peers, but they could not protect her from the teachers. Upset with her behavior, her teachers began to humiliate and embarrass her, telling her to "quit acting like a girl."
Joe Saldimini, a teacher in the Out Adolescents Staying in Schools (OASIS) program in Los Angeles, gave us a similar account of teachers humiliating a seventh grader who later identified as transgender. "One called her a faggot and told her she wouldn't have any problems if she only acted like a boy. The teacher would embarrass her in front of all the kids and call her a sissy," he reported, adding that at least one other teacher in the student's school was "very helpful."
Pam Spaulding: Young people find that "being themselves" is not always well-received by an important slice of their world -- school administrators, children who bully, and even teachers who subscribe to the "toughen up" philosophy. Who creates the bully? Who is accountable?
Brittany Snow And MTV Launch 'Love Is Louder' After Recent Suicides.
(And I love the fact that the actress who played Amber Von Tussle in Hairspray is advocating for people who do not fit the norm and need acceptance. If ever anyone needed proof that actors are not their roles...this is it.)
Actress and stand-up comedienne Kathy Griffin announced on Twitter a couple of hours ago that she's donating her entire salary from her Dec 16 show at the Gibson Ampitheatre to The Trevor Project. And here's a YouTube vid by her as well:
Click to viewCyndi Lauper also made a video, speaking out against bullying and in favor of
http://www.wegiveadamn.org/, which sounds like an excellent organization, both for LGBTQ people and for allies: