Vassar Students Raise $40,000+ for The Trevor Project in Response to Protest by Westboro Baptist Church

I mentioned this in my round-up yesterday, but I have to give it more attention, partly because it's awesome and partly because I am A PROUD ALUMNUS ('89) of this so-called "Ivy League Whorehouse".

Westboro Baptist Church is planning a protest at Vassar on February 28.

In response, students organized a fundraiser for the LGBT suicide and crisis intervention organization The Trevor Project:

The Westboro Baptist Church has announced that they will picket Vassar College on Feb 28th. In response, we are raising money for the Trevor Project, "the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth." Our goal is to raise $4,500, or $100 per minute that the WBC is planning to protest for.

The fundraiser has attracted thousands of donors and its total was at $43,709 as of this posting.

Acting Vassar President Jon Chenette sent a letter to the campus:

Dear students, faculty, staff, and alumnae/i,

Yesterday I sent an email to the campus community about plans announced by the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, to picket Vassar on February 28 in protest of our open support of LGBTQ students, employees, and alums. As I said in that message, we look forward as a college to any opportunity to counter messages of hate and bigotry and to underscore our values. Since the campus and alumnae/i became aware of Westboro's plan, we have received an outpouring of support for reaffirming our commitment to inclusion. Many of you have posted similar sentiments on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media. The responses from members of our community, while not surprising, have been remarkable and have made all of us who have read them proud to be part of Vassar.

In the face of Westboro's statements, we want to celebrate the inclusiveness of our community and the multitude of backgrounds, interests, and preferences that enrich our experiences. In an effort to coordinate activities that members of the campus and alumnae/i communities are planning, the senior staff of the college has organized a group representative of students, faculty, staff, and alumnae/i to serve as a clearinghouse and sounding board. I know they will foster an array of events that will speak powerfully to our values.

And students are saying, bring it on:

Although the event is set to take place three weeks from now, on February 28, 2013, the Vassar community is already making preparations. An all-campus meeting has been scheduled to take place at the UpC Cafe at 10pm tonight to mobilize the student body and counter the Westboro Church.

“The Vassar community is so creative and intelligent, and I look forward to working with students and staff to figure out a response that shows the strength and inclusiveness of our community,” wrote Assistant Director for Campus Life Judy Jarvis in an emailed statement.

Donate HERE if you want to help out the fundraiser.

UK Teen Hangs Himself After Anti-Gay Bullying

Another teen lost to anti-gay bullying, this time in the UK. 16-year-old Anthony Stubbs' body was found in the woods near his home, six weeks after he had disappeared. He had hanged himself. His mother says it was because of anti-gay bullying:

Still, grieving Denise Machin believes she knows the reason very well. She blames the bullying girls who hounded him about his sexuality, and his own inner struggle with his feelings.

Denise, 34, says: “Anthony was getting bullied by girls for two years. He would get shouted ‘gay boy’ at, get slapped in the face, come home with his school jumper ripped and even got his phone stolen. He would be upset but pick himself up and go back the next day.

“I spoke to his teachers about it, but Anthony begged me not to get involved because it was making it worse and he’d get embarrassed.”

He had told his mother he was bisexual:

“Anthony was obviously experimenting, finding out who he was.” They reported Anthony missing on November 26, and on December 30 Denise and Charlotte gave an emotional press conference begging the teenager to come home.

But Denise admits now: “The press conference I did was awful — I knew deep down he wasn’t coming back. I just couldn’t feel him in my heart any more. I knew something serious had happened.”

When police found his body, Denise was almost relieved — especially because of the note he left.

It reads: “Well, I’m gone but not completely. I will be watching over you and making sure you make the right choices. And don’t forget me, I’m in heaven looking down. Please don’t grieve and try to move on as best you can, I love you all so very much.’

A Stunning Song for Bullied Gay Teen Jamey Rodemeyer: VIDEO

The Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles 'It Gets Better' tour is on its way around the country and had a big premiere in Los Angeles last week which Lily Tomlin, Leann Rimes, Greg Louganis, and Dan Savage attended.

One of the standout songs from the show is called "Song for Jamey" and was inspired by the story many of you know about Jamey Rodemeyer, who took his own life after years of bullying.

The haunting track is performed by Sacha Sacket and a live recording of Sacket performing the song has just been released. Sacket grew up in Iran, and was badly bullied in high school, a solitary experience with caused him alienation an depression. He identified with Jamey's story, and wrote the song in one sitting in response to the news of Jamey's death.

This version was recorded live in the Shatto Chapel at the First Congregational Church in Los Angeles. Development workshops and rehearsals for the project were held there as well.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Tyler Clementi Center Established at Rutgers University: VIDEO

The Tyler Clementi Center at Rutgers University, in honor of the student who took his own life in 2010 after being spied on and harassed for being gay, was established on Monday, the Star-Ledger reports:

The center will focus on helping students make the transition from home to college. It will also offer lectures and training on issues related to bullying, the misuse of social media and suicide among gay youth.

“Through the Tyler Clementi Center we have the chance to impact not only young people at Rutgers, but young people across the nation,” said Joseph Clementi, Tyler’s father, at a ceremony announcing the project.

Several hundred people, including students, gay rights supporters and mental health activists, attended the ceremony at the Rutgers Visitors Center in Piscataway. The Clementi Center is a joint project by Rutgers and the Tyler Clementi Foundation, a non-profit group started by the freshman’s family after his death.

Additionally, legislation was introduced to coincide with the announcement of the center:

During the ceremony, Rep. Rush Holt (D-12th Dist.) announced he and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) reintroduced legislation in Congress today that would require colleges to have anti-harassment policies. The Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act was first introduced shortly after Clementi’s death, but did not gain enough support to become law.

Holt said the legislation would make grants available to help colleges find creative ways to battle bullying and help students in Clementi’s memory.

You can donate to help fund the center at The Tyler Clementi Foundation website.

Watch ABC7's report on the announcement, AFTER THE JUMP...

(via david mixner)

Activist: The SF 49ers Need to Answer Questions About What Went Down with Their 'It Gets Better' Video

Sean Chapin, the activist behind the Change.org petition that convinced the San Francisco 49ers to be the first NFL team to make an 'It Gets Better' video, says the team needs to address the remarks made by linebacker Ahmad Brooks and nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga last week in the days before the Super Bowl.

Since Brooks and Sopoaga participated in the 49ers 'It Gets Better' video last year, reporters figured they would have an interesting perspective on the Chris Culliver story, but a new controversy arose when Brooks and Sopoaga both denied participating in the video, and then, when they were shown it, said they never knew it had anything to do with gays, and then appeared to want to distance themselves from it.

Their remarks led Dan Savage to pull the video from the 'It Gets Better' site. Savage then tweeted: "We've removed the #49ers #ItGetsBetter video from our website. #homophobia #NFL #horsesh*t"

Watch Chapin's demand that the 49ers address the issue, AFTER THE JUMP...

Bullied Gay Teen Who Hanged Himself Dies

Openly gay teen Jadin Bell, who hanged himself two weeks ago after being pushed to do so by bullies at his school and on the Internet, died this morning at a Portland hospital. You may recall that he was taken off life support last week. Bell was just 15 years old.