When Politicians Share Stories of Being Bullied
If you haven’t seen the video in this post, please take a few minutes of your time to watch it. It’s probably one of the most moving “It Gets Better” videos I’ve seen so far:
Amidst a Fall season where tragic stories of anti-gay bullying have been fast and furious, Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns took some time during the city’s regularly scheduled council meeting to share some truly moving personal experiences about growing up as a gay youth. He acknowledges growing up in a tough environment where he was taunted for his sexual orientation, and how that experience of bullying has affected him as adult.
The issue hits relatively close to home for Burns. In another Texas city, a 13-year-old student, Asher Brown, killed himself after severe anti-gay bullying. Asher’s parents had complained to their Houston-area school about the bullying, but felt that the school district did little to change the toxic environment that Asher faced. The school district has yet to respond to hundreds of emails, and continuing pressure to address anti-gay bullying in their district.
Asher’s suicide — as well as the suicides of Seth Walsh, Tyler Clementi, Raymond Chase, Justin Aaberg, Zach Harrington and Billy Lucas — moved Councilman Burns to share his very personal story.
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