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Family of Billy Lucas to sue school
Billy Lucas was 15 when he died by suicide in 2010 because he was bullied for being perceived to be gay. Two years later, his mother is suing the school that didn’t step in.
The suit claims Lucas was bullied for his ADHD, his ethnicity and his perceived sexual orientation, arguing that his school did not protect him and may even have contributed to his harassment.
Greensburg Community Junior High School’s Principal Rodney King, Assistant Principal David Strouse and school employees Iris Ramp and Darci Kovacic are directly implicated in the suit.
The suit states, “King and Strouse had actual knowledge that [Lucas] was being harassed but turned a blind eye to the harassment. At one point King told W. [William/Billy] L., ‘If someone beat you up, I wouldn’t know whether to give him an award or suspend him.’ […] Ramp and Kovacich witnessed students harassing and bullying W.L. on multiple occasions yet did nothing to prevent or stop it.
In fact, Ramp and Kovacich not only ignored the harassment of W.L. by other students at the School, but in some cases encouraged and even actively participated in the harassment of W.L. themselves. Ramp and Kovacich verbally insulted, ridiculed, and abused W.L. in front of his peers on multiple occasions.”
Two years already. I hope this family is able to find peace in spite of such a terrible, unforgettable tragedy.
Posted on Sunday, September 9th 2012
Reblogged from GayWrites.
Actor Says His Buddy’s Boyfriend Is His Inspiration
SEPTEMBER 05 2012 2:21 AM ET
Actor Kal Penn is campaigning hard for President Obama’s reelection and said his buddy Kevin’s boyfriend is his inspiration. Penn served for two years as Obama’s liaison to young Americans and repeatedly cited repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” as reason to rile up that important demographic during his speech.
“I’m volunteering again now because my friend Matt got a job at a Detroit car company that still exists, and Lauren can get the prescription she needs,” Penn told the crowd. “I’m volunteering because Josiah is back from Iraq, Chris is finishing college on the GI Bill, and three weeks ago, my buddy Kevin’s boyfriend was able to watch him graduate from Marine Corps training. That’s change! And we can’t turn back now.”
Posted on Thursday, September 6th 2012
Source advocate.com
‘Gayglers’ celebrate LGBT Pride Month, World Pride
Google is once-again touting support for the LGBT community by participating in worldwide Pride events and expanding company-wide benefits.
According to “Gaygler” Randy Reyes on the official Google blog:
We encourage people to bring their whole selves to work. And this month Googlers, Gayglers (gay Googlers), and their families and friends took this spirit to the streets in Pride parades and celebrations around the globe. In Sao Paulo, a group of 50 marched as a Google contingent for the first time ever. In San Francisco, more than 1,000 Googlers and allies marched (nearly doubling the number of people we had in 2011!). In New York, more than 700 of our friends and colleagues took over 5th Avenue marching alongside our double-decker Pride bus. And this weekend in Singapore, we’re sponsoring the Pink Dot celebration for the second consecutive year.
Reyes further revealed action-based plans to celebrate World Pride in London this year. The Mountain View, Calif.-based Company will host a ”Legalise Love” Conference at Google London, with hopes to ”eliminate homophobia” and “decriminalize homosexuality.”
Google also significantly increased coverage of transgender health care for its U.S. employees. Transgender-inclusive benefits, such as “transitioning procedures and treatment in accordance with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s Standards of Care,” now receive a lifetime maximum coverage of $75,000.
“Next month we’ll carry the energy of Pride into our fourth annual company Diversity & Inclusion celebration, the Sum of Google. The Sum is an opportunity to celebrate and engage in a discussion about diversity and inclusion across our offices around the world,” Reyes concluded.
As 9to5Google previously reported, Google is also marking any LGBT-related query this month with a rainbow-colored banner under the search box to celebrate LGBT Pride Month, as it has down for the last five years in a row. U.S. President Barack Obama declared June as LGBT Pride Month for 2012. The month-long stance is against discrimination and violence toward the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, with promotion for equal and civil rights.
Posted on Saturday, September 1st 2012
Louisiana state rep. wants LGBT minor dropped
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette made big news in the last couple of weeks with the announcement that it would start offering students a minor in LGBT studies.
Rep. Jeff Landry is one of the people who’s not excited about it. He made that perfectly clear in a letter to the president of the university, arguing that an LGBT studies minor would not help students get jobs.
According to The New Orleans Times-Picayune, Landry, a Republican, continues, “Our neighbors and students should trust that the education dollars they spent at University of Louisiana at Lafayette will be used to further their careers, not a political agenda.”
A news release cited by The Advocate quoted Landry as saying he believes the university is “placating to political pressures” by offering the minor to students. “Diverting your limited resources to advance a political agenda at the expense of our students is unacceptable,” Landry wrote, according to the release.
This man simply does not get it. I really hope the university pushes back against all the backlash it’s gotten up to this point - everybody’s gotta start somewhere, and for a lot of people in Louisiana, this could be it.
Posted on Saturday, September 1st 2012
Reblogged from in tumblr's LGBTQ spotlight since 2010
Source gaywrites
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