Education Secretary Arne Duncan Endorses Marriage Equality on 'Morning Joe': VIDEO

A short time ago on Morning Joe, Mark Halperin tested out an idea he has for all administration officials following Biden's remarks over the weekend, and Education Secretary Arne Duncan was the first to face the Morning Joe crew.

Said Halperin: "Just a little icebreaker, Mr. Secretary, we're going to go throught the whole cabinet. Do you believe that same-sex men and women should be able to get legally married in the United States?"

Duncan: "Yes I do."

Halperin: "Have you ever said that publicly before?"

Duncan: "I don't know that I've ever been asked publicly."

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

(clip via Think Progress)

Education Secretary Arne Duncan Marks First National Gay-Straight Alliance Day with Anti-Bullying Message: VIDEO

Obama's Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has posted a video on the White House blog marking the first annual Gay-Straight Alliance Day, which is today.

Says Duncan, in part: "When students are harassed or bullied, it directly affects their work in the classroom, their aspirations for the future, and their desire to stay in school. Gay-Straight Alliances and similar student groups play an important role in creating welcoming, affirming, and respectful schools and colleges – safe places where learning can happen and students flourish. This work is absolutely essential. GSAs are a proven tool for creating welcoming school climates and helping students stay in school."

The national GSA Day is a project of the Iowa Pride Network. Said Ryan Roemerman, IPN Executive Director: “Over the years other states were contacting us asking how they could replicate the event, so we decided to coordinate on a national level. The response from partnering state and national organizations has been extraordinary.”

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Department of Education Sends Anti-Bullying Guidance to Educators; Will Convene Conference Next Year

The Department of Education today sent guidance in the form of a "Dear Colleague" letter to schools, colleges, and universities explaining their legal obligations to protect students from "student-on-student racial and national origin harassment, sexual and gender-based harassment, and disability harassment" says the agency in a press release.

The DoE writes: "Today, the Department of Education issued guidance to support educators in combating bullying in schools by clarifying when student bullying may violate federal education anti-discrimination laws. The guidance issued today also makes clear that while current laws enforced by the department do not protect against harassment based on religion or sexual orientation, they do include protection against harassment of members of religious groups based on shared ethnic characteristics as well as gender and sexual harassment of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgendered individuals...The White House and Department of Education also announced next steps to address bullying and harassment in schools.  Early next year, the White House will host a conference to raise awareness and equip young people, parents, educators, coaches and other community leaders with tools to prevent bullying and harassment.  This conference will build upon efforts led by the U.S. Department of Education and other federal agencies to spark a dialogue on the ways in which communities can come together to prevent bullying and harassment."

Said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan: "Bullying is a problem that shouldn't exist. No one should ever feel harassed or unsafe in a school simply because they act or think or dress differently than others...To every student who feels threatened or harassed -- for whatever reason -- please know that you are not alone.  Please know that there are people who love you. And please know that we will protect you."

 

Education Sect. Arne Duncan Comes Out Against Anti-Gay Bullying

Education Secretary Arne Duncan released a refreshingly stern statement this afternoon about anti-gay bullying, which led to the suicides of at least four men this week:

This week, we sadly lost [four] young men who took their own lives for one unacceptable reason: they were being bullied and harassed because they were openly gay or believed to be gay. These unnecessary tragedies come on the heels of at least three other young people taking their own lives because the trauma of being bullied and harassed for their actual or perceived sexual orientation was too much to bear.

This is a moment where every one of us - parents, teachers, students, elected officials, and all people of conscience - needs to stand up and speak out against intolerance in all its forms. Whether it's students harassing other students because of ethnicity, disability or religion; or an adult, public official harassing the President of the University of Michigan student body because he is gay, it is time we as a country said enough. No more. This must stop.

I'm glad to see the Obama Administration addressing this horrific trend. I'm also hopeful that all of this attention, particularly around Tyler Clementi, will help this nation move toward a more inclusive, or at least considerate, future.

CNN's Jessica Yellin Debunks Right-Wing Attacks on Kevin Jennings

CNN's Jessica Yellin takes apart the lies being put forward by right-wing conservatives surrounding the Education Department's Safe and Drug-Free Schools Chief Kevin Jennings and an incident that happened over two decades ago with a 16-year-old.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Previously...
Under Attack from Right, Education Department's Kevin Jennings Releases Statement on Counseling Incident 21 Years Ago [tr]

Under Attack from Right, Education Department's Kevin Jennings Releases Statement on Counseling Incident 21 Years Ago

Kevin Jennings, the gay founder of GLSEN who now heads the Education Department's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, has been the target of right-wing and religious groups (such as the Family Research Council) since he was named to the position. The groups accuse Jennings of promoting homosexuality in schools. Recently, they seized upon an incident involving Jennings which happened 21 years ago in which Jennings was counseling a 16 or 17-year-old student who said he was sexually involved with a man. Jennings failure to report this to authorities is now fueling the right-wing accusations that he is somehow trying to indoctrinate children into homosexuality.

FOX News has jumped on the bandwagon, of course, claiming that Jennings covered up statutory rape.

Yesterday, Jennings released a statement admitting he mishandled the incident:

“Twenty one years later I can see how I should have handled this situation differently. I should have asked for more information and consulted legal or medical authorities. Teachers back then had little training or guidance about this kind of thing. All teachers should have a basic level of preparedness. I would like to see the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools play a bigger role in helping to prepare teachers.”

Education Secretary Arne Duncan also released a statement:

"Kevin Jennings has dedicated his professional career to promoting school safety. He is uniquely qualified for his job and I am honored to have him on our team."

The L.A. Times reports: "Jennings' inaction was discussed in the teaching community as far back as 2004. It is now being condemned as part of a broader critique of Jennings' fitness for the education post by conservative critics, who also accuse him of promoting homosexuality...Department spokesman Justin Hamilton said the accusation that Jennings promoted homosexuality was too ridiculous to deserve comment."

The wingnuts don't want to see any gay man in this position, much less one who has spent the better part of 20 years dedicating himself to wiping out anti-LGBT bullying and promoting tolerance in the nation's schools.