candlelight vigil

[mellowtigger]

Tonight, I heard a local mother speak about her son who killed himself this year after being bullied in our Minnesota schools.  Sad times.  Too many GLBT youth have ended their lives during the last month (plus several in the local school districts earlier this year) rather than face more harassment. 

I forgot my camera, so I don't have any of my own photographs to share.  Resedabear has a flickr stream, though, including the photo of me here on the right.  I would guess that more than 400 people were there tonight at any given time.

I've been hesitant to speak up about the current "It Gets Better" project.  For me, remembering means reliving, and I hate to do that unless it serves a purpose worth the personal cost.  I guess maybe it's time to knuckle down and relive parts of my past so that I can create my own video to add to the campaign.  :(

The event tonight was actually much better than most GLBT events I've attended.  There was a lot more involvement from people directly affected by bullying and suicides than there were "political activists" (whatever that phrase might mean).

Nevertheless, I was glad to see that someone from the office of my U.S. representative, Keith Ellison, attended.  Regardless of his personal beliefs, he does make an effort to engage with other communities.  That dedication to dialog will likely win him my vote again, even though he is a Democrat and they're on my angry list at the moment.  As was expressed during the vigil tonight, "Donate And Wait" for gay civil equality and protection under the law is costing us the lives of our kids.  Even the kids who are already out to their parents and have family support, they too are still succumbing to the intense bullying outside the home.

State Senator Dibble said that the Minnesota legislature passed an anti-bullying law intended for the school districts this year, but then our Republican governor refused to sign it.  So Dibble plans to submit it again during the emergency session.

No more waiting.  Kids are dieing.  It's an emergency.

Comments

[huladavid.livejournal.com]

Thanks for making it to the vigil. I was there just before things got started and I was sure the interpreters had everything they needed.

[furr-a-bruin.livejournal.com]

Someone needs to ask Pawlenty on camera why he wants children to be tormented into killing themselves - because that's the practical effect of his veto.

[mellowtigger]

Louis (on Facebook) posted these points. Facebook is awful for actual dialog (poor editing/display) so I'm responding here after first duplicating his post:

"I was fine right up to the anti-bullying bill. It is not that I oppose the bill outright, it is that I have 2 concerns:

1) This special session is meant to consider flood relief for those in southern MN only. As one of those in southern MN, ...I can tell you that right now, it is more important than school bullying. Especially since T-Paw will probably veto the bill again anyways.

2) How does a bill designed to enforce peer to peer bullying when the bullying is done by, encouraged by, and condoned by the staff and administration of the school district. I have first hand evidence of this as a former school bus driver where an admin outright said that they do that."

[mellowtigger]

I think there's a lot more choice involved in building/living where your well being is threatened (flood water) versus being forced to visit each day such a place (schoolhouse). I think this year was unusual for the number of schoolkids who died in Minnesota by suicide after bullying. One particular urban school district seems to be the focus, too. When multiple kids continue to die in a preventable situation that has the authority of government behind it... I'm willing to call that an emergency for the legislature to address.

The new bill requires administrators to submit their policy for state review, and (just as important) it forces that policy to include specific wording for a list of protected groups. Sadly, that infamous list is a necessary addition.

As I learned in a Sociology class a few years ago, some people manufacture "loopholes" for certain other people, coming to think that protection of rules and even codified laws do not apply/protect for "special cases" of their choosing. It actually requires (against Reasonable thought) specific wording of the law to remind everyone that these "special cases" are not actually exempt under the broader law. The broad law is insufficient, unfortunately, due to this weakness in human psychology.

Administrators are resisting current law, I agree, but forcing them to "say the specific words" that close this mental loophole is a necessary step to eventually end the bullying. They too have to learn that the existing law offers no loopholes, so they must act in all cases of bullying.