EXCLUSIVE: Mayor Bloomberg to Announce Comprehensive Initiatives Combating Anti-Gay Bulling in NYC Schools

TOWLEROAD EXCLUSIVE:

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York City School Chancellor Joel Klein will announce a groundbreaking comprehensive initiative later this morning at the Department of Education (DOE) headquarters to address bias-related harassment, intimidation and bullying in the New York City School system. The new Chancellor’s Regulation, A-832, will make New York City’s efforts to combat bullying and harassment based on ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and other factors among the most rigorous in the country and build on the city's “Respect for All” initiative, according to organizers.

"The new steps outlined today will help us make sure that all students are afforded a safe and harassment free environment in which to learn," said Senior Counselor to the Chancellor Brian Ellner. You may remember Ellner was an openly gay candidate for Manhattan Borough President in 2005.

In 2004, Bloomberg vetoed anti-bullying legislation for New York City's public schools that had been passed by the City Council. The stated basis for the veto was because of jurisdictional control and the Mayor argued that the City Council did not have authority to legislate issues concerning the health and safety in schools. At the time, the veto angered leaders throughout the LGBT community in New York City. There is currently a Dignity for All Students Act pending in the state legislature. Today's move may pressure state lawmakers to follow the city's lead and pass it.

The new regulations are being unveiled this morning in coordination with Randi Weingarten, the President of the United Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of Teachers, who is also openly lesbian; Alan Van Capelle, the executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda, Kevin Jennings, the founder and executive director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, Thomas Krever, executive director of the Hetrick-Martin Institute, which includes the Harvey Milk High School, Drew Tagbliabue, the executive director of P-FLAG New York City, and local political leaders such as New York City Speaker Christine Quinn, State Senator Tom Duane and Assemblymember Daniel O’Donnell (Rosie’s brother).

Said Bloomberg of the initiative: "Bullying and harassment impede our students’ ability to learn. When students are victims of bullying because of race, sexual orientation, or other factors, they simply cannot focus on learning, and we cannot allow that. Our students should always feel safe at school, and these initiatives will help ensure that they do. By holding students and administrators accountable, and by giving victims more opportunities to seek help, we can create safer schools with healthier learning environments. Enforcing the Chancellor’s Regulation will not only ensure that incidents of bullying are handled swiftly and appropriately, it will also help prevent such incidents in the first place."

The new regulation establishes a new email address, RespectForAll@schools.nyc.gov, where students who have experienced bullying behavior and are hesitant to report it to their school can turn for help.

Continued, AFTER THE JUMP...

According to the initiative's organizers, "The regulation also requires each school to create an annual plan to ensure that it has a safe and supportive learning environment and it establishes that schools must train students in the new regulations, so that they understand what behaviors constitute bias-based harassment and where to go for help if they believe they have been subjected to prohibited behavior by bullies. Under the new regulation, schools will report all complaints of harassment, intimidation, or bullying within 24 hours. They will also conduct full investigations, including interviews and written statements. In addition, the regulation requires staff members who either witness or are told about incidents to report them—and it says schools must contact the families of accused students. The DOE will also work with schools to take appropriate follow-up steps after incidents. This could include sending students to counseling, helping schools to train staff, or intervening to protect the safety of alleged victims."

Said Speaker Christine C. Quinn: "It is unacceptable for any student to feel unsafe in his or her own school, or be denied their right to a high quality education because they have to endure the emotional distress of discrimination or the physical torment of hazing,taunting, and bullying. These new regulations combined with the Respect for All Initiative will go a long way in ensuring that school officials and young people are appropriately informed and trained and that we are accurately tracking incidents of harassment as they occur. These uniform requirements will provide our students with the security of knowing that they have access to any help and support they need as the new school year begins."

Respect For All is a training program for school staff that prepares teachers, guidance counselors, and others to identify and address bullying, harassment, and intimidation.

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Matt Damon Possessed to Fight Poverty

Matt Damon's body is taken over by the voices of Michelle Obama, Cindy McCain, and Michael Bloomberg among others in this new campaign from anti-poverty group ONE.

Says Damon (and others): "Thanks to everyday Americans who chose to make a difference, millions of lives have been saved in the world's poorest countries. 41 million more children have been able to go to school. 3 million more people living with AIDS have access to lifesaving medication. 3 million fewer children die each year from preventable diseases. But there's still more to do. In this election year, please join the millions of Americans from every party, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, who are coming together as ONE. We welcome your voice."

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

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Someone Left NYC Pride Out In The Rain

On my own blog, I tend to be wordy. So of course I’m taking over Towleroad the day after Gay Pride Weekend. It’s impossible to summarize multiple events across the world too briefly, so my first couple of posts, devoted to Pride, will be anything but the lighter fare Andy promised from me.

Over one million turned out to watch approximately 500,000 march in New York City’s annual Gay Pride Parade, the 39th celebration since the Stonewall Riots (June 28, 1969). Intermittent showers soaked the throngs of participants and spectators, failing to dampen enthusiasm even as more than one pair of size 12 Prada pumps had their last hurrah.

New York’s David Paterson—the nation’s first legally blind governor—became the first governor to appear in the parade, eliciting loud cheers as he kicked off the march alongside New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Other politicos included Senator Charles Schumer (Hillary Clinton was not in attendance), openly gay New York State Senator Tom Duane and out lesbian Council Speaker (and possible mayoral candidate) Christine Quinn, who had this to say of Paterson:

“Politically and personally, thank you to Governor Paterson. What he did following on the great work in the assembly—sends a message that leadership isn't about waiting, it's about finding the opportunity. It's about finding the way to move progress and civil rights forward.”

Co-grand marshals were transsexual Dirty Sexy Money star and local girl Candis Cayne and activist Gilbert Baker, who created the rainbow flag.

My own experience with the stormy NYC parade? Put away wet, but not rode hard…

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News: Martian Moons, Brad Pitt, Fire, Mitt-Flops, USS Kitty Hawk

Human Rights Campaign: did the gay rights group use underhanded tactics to skew polling over ENDA in order to show support for dropping transgender protections?

Brad Pitt says he'll no longer do nude scenes in films: "I don't want to be embarrassed when my kids get old enough to see my films. I can't see any more nude scenes [in my career.]"

Australian ACT civil partnerships likely to move forward under Labor Party: "The incoming attorney-general, Robert McClelland, says Labor is unlikely to block a proposal by the ACT to legally recognise same-sex couples - a plan that was repeatedly stymied by the Howard Government. The ACT Attorney-General, Simon Corbell, is planning to reintroduce a civil partnerships bill, which will give legal recognition to unions between same-sex couples. The plan was blocked by the Howard Government last year and the outgoing Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock, threatened to do so again in February."

LOGO announces reality show about gay basketball team San Francisco Rockdogs.

China's refusal to allow USS Kitty Hawk to dock in Hong Kong not a misunderstanding: "Liu said "erroneous" actions on the part of the U.S. had 'disturbed and harmed' relations. He pointed to Congress' awarding its highest civilian honor to the Dalai Lama last month. Although the Tibetan spiritual leader is lauded in much of the world as a figure of moral authority, Beijing demonizes the monk and claims he seeks to destroy China's sovereignty by pushing for independence for Tibet. Also hurting relations were arms sales to Taiwan, an island which China regards as a renegade province, he said. A White House spokeswoman said she was surprised by the explanation."

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter provides new look at Martian moons: "Carbonaceous chondrites are primitive carbon-containing materials thought to originate in the outer part of the asteroid belt. This led to a commonly held view among planetary scientists that Mars' moons are primitive asteroids captured into Martian orbit early in the planet's history. More recent measurements have shown that the moons are in fact relatively red in their color, and resemble even more primitive D-type asteroids in the outer solar system."

Firefighters asked to report people who express discontent with the U.S. Government.

Arsonist continues to plague Provincetown — recent fire was 11th since October: "It's scary and sad that people are going around setting peoples' property on fire. It's ridiculous and wrong, if that is indeed what is going on."

David Beckham nuzzled in New Zealand.

Obama courting Michael Bloomberg as potential VP candidate? "An Obama aide said the meeting was scheduled because of 'mutual interest' and did not know whether the two had met before." Actually, they have: "Bloomberg, according to my spy, said he had met Obama for the first time about a year and a half ago, in the Senate subway, and was struck by Obama's eloquence. But 'he simply is not experienced enough to become president,' Bloomberg, I'm told, said. That's in part, at least, because 'senators have absolutely no idea what executive decision making is all about' — a familiar Bloomberg theme and one that would disqualify a number of candidates."

James Franco and Mila Kunis parody The Hills.

Log Cabin Republicans unleash Romney "Mitt Flops" ad: "The ad by the Log Cabin Republicans notes that Romney signed legislation in 2003 that increased taxes on New Hampshire residents who worked in Massachusetts. It also says Romney raised taxes on businesses, a point Romney disputes by saying he was merely closing tax loopholes...The radio ad represents the second effort by the Log Cabin Republicans to cast Romney as a flip-flopper. Last month, the group aired an ad in Iowa and on national cable that sought to undercut his support among social conservatives."

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News: Michael Bloomberg, B52s, Siskel & Ebert & Roeper, Hairspray

The New York Times does a "sting" job on Mayor Michael Bloomberg's claims that he takes the subway to work "virtually every day" and finds that while Bloomberg is telling the truth, he may not be telling all of it: "On mornings that he takes the subway from home, Mr. Bloomberg is picked up at his Upper East Side town house by a pair of king-size Chevrolet Suburbans. The mayor is driven 22 blocks to the subway station at 59th Street and Lexington Avenue, where he can board an express train to City Hall. His drivers zip past his neighborhood station, a local subway stop a five-minute walk away." The mayor's response to the brouhaha: "Some people focus on important things, some people don't."

Bass boytoy Pedro Andrade shows what he's got.

Are the Democratic contenders for president in 2008 feeling more liberated about their relationship with the gay voting base? "The Democrats' apparent newfound confidence on gay issues -- a confidence, to be fair, that hasn't yet been tested by general election pressures -- has two sources. There's a broad cultural shift, indicated by polling, toward public support for gay rights. And the shift comes as Democrats feel confident that Republicans -- weakened and tied to an unpopular war in Iraq -- will be unable to turn gay rights into the high-profile wedge issue it was in 2004."

Singapore on gay rights: one step forward, two steps back.

Online archive of Siskel & Ebert & Roeper is created, showcasing more than 1,000 shows and reviews of over 5,000 movies. Ebert: "Gene and I knew those old shows would be worth saving, but for a long time nobody agreed with us. In the years before home video, it seemed like a waste of expensive video tape to preserve hundreds of episodes of our earlier incarnations on “Opening Soon at a Theater Near You,” “Sneak Previews” or “At the Movies.” After all, the movies we were reviewing weren’t going to be opening again, and who’d want to watch a show of old movie reviews? Right?"

Cindy Wilson on the new B-52s album: "It's the best thing we've ever done. This is the worst time in the world to put out a record. We should have our heads examined for even trying to do something new the way things are now, but that's just the way it's happened. We'd recorded in the Bahamas but never in Athens. There's an 'Athens vibe,' even though it's changed so much over there. I think it's the magical kiss we needed. We're bringing everything that's happened to us in 30 years to this record. There's a maturity to it, but we're not about to grow up. It's still us, you know."

Hairspray: Sing-along Edition coming to a city near you.

Rosie O'Donnell turned down $2 million to appear on The Apprentice.

PlanetOut reports second quarter 2007 results. CEO Magee: "During the second quarter we made significant progress in our efforts to solidify PlanetOut's balance sheet and position the company for future growth. During the quarter, we signed an agreement to raise $26.2 million through an equity financing transaction, which closed in early July 2007; and we examined every aspect of our business to identify ways to simplify and focus the company, and reduce expenses. Our recent announcement to close PlanetOut's international offices was a direct result of this effort. We are making strategic changes to enable us to increase focus throughout the organization on the most critical issues and opportunities in front of us during an important time of transition and rebuilding for the company." (LGBT)

Jealous of the Beckhams, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes want to do a W naked photoshoot of their own: "A friend of the couple told Australia's 'New Weekly' magazine: 'They have already started planning some of the photos. One suggestion they were keen on was a shot of them posing together in the shower, dripping wet and covered by nothing but steam.'"

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NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg Leaves Republican Party

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has left the Republican party, he announced Tuesday evening.

Said Bloomberg: "I have filed papers with the New York City Board of Elections to change my status as a voter and register as unaffiliated with any political party. Although my plans for the future haven't changed, I believe this brings my affiliation into alignment with how I have led and will continue to lead our city. A nonpartisan approach has worked wonders in New York: we’ve balanced budgets, grown our economy, improved public health, reformed the school system and made the nation’s safest city even safer. We have achieved real progress by overcoming the partisanship that too often puts narrow interests above the common good. As a political independent, I will continue to work with those in all political parties to find common ground, to put partisanship aside and to achieve real solutions to the challenges we face. Any successful elected executive knows that real results are more important than partisan battles and that good ideas should take precedence over rigid adherence to any particular political ideology. Working together, there’s no limit to what we can do."

At an appearance at Google headquarters yesterday, Bloomberg pretty much trashed the presidential debates that have been held so far:

"They have absolutely nothing to do with the job and the qualifications. And they don't tell you anything about whether or not any of those candidates would be good or bad presidents. What they really say is, did they memorize their notes of 'What to say if …' and whether their staff was able to anticipate. If you look at both debates, they pandered, what I would argue, the same ways."

Bloomberg lamented the lack of solutions from the candidates, said they were exploiting terrorism, and decried the state of "dithering" Washington, according to the New York Sun.

Will the billionaire run for president? Although he told the crowd at Google that his "next career will be in philanthropy," these are certainly some interesting developments.

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Tête-à-Tête: David Geffen and Michael Bloomberg

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg laughed yesterday at the two-day conference sponsored by the University of Southern California on bridging the political divide because David Geffen told him ___________.

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