The Democrats in the House stood against the HB 4770 and HB 4771 on the Floor, and throughout the process preceding the floor vote as did the lobbying staff of EPICA Consulting and organizations such as ACLU MI, Equality Michigan, National Organization of Women of MI, NAACP to name some organizations. Additionally individuals including in the House Ethics and Oversight Committee who work at the university and are affect testified with photos of their family that are affected. Lastly it was advised this is not good policy by the MI Department of Civil Rights.

The bills introduced by Rep Agema who is the Republican Causus Chair and Speaker of the House was vetoed down earlier this year in May with a veto by Governor Synder also a Republican. That bill was to enact that any higher education institution of the state providing domestic partner benefits would get an additional 5% cut to that already higher education cuts of 22%.

Followed up within minutes was HB 4771 which stripes the state university employees of collective bargaining, which they could use to respond to this stripping of the state university providing their own employees domestic partner benefits. This many are seeing as an attack.

Currently 10 states universities provide domestic partner benefits, and had changed their policies after the state Prop 2 passage in 2006 that amended the Michigan Constitution to ban same sex marriage. The MI Supreme Court ruled that the universities could not provide same sex couples health benefits.

Since the state has given historically its universities a lot of self automanty the state coming down on this over rides the people who elected into office their state universities board members who then determine the universities employee’s copmensation including these benefits.

Executive Director of Equality Michigan & lawyer at Rainbow Law

As Emily D. who works as the Director of Policy at Equality MI, the leading LBGT organization for civil rights in Michigan, reported on the Craig Fahle show, the majority of people under this are not same sex couples living together, as many LBGT persons in Michigan do not feel comfortable coming out to their employer. In Michigan it is still legal to be fired for being or perceived by one’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity in employment, and discriminated against in housing, public accommodation(s).

The exempts today being 17 municipalities of MI some 1600+ municipalities, and the state universities that have the policies.

The history of MI for LBGT rights turns to its state universities as well for these issues, with the first LBGT campus office opening in 1961 with a critical effort by Jim Toy at University of Michigan who worked at quarter time until the mid 1990s while working often vastly more hours.  Today called the Spectrum Center which turned 40 this year and hosted the MBLGTACC (Midwest Bi Lesbian Gay Trans Allies College Conference) where some 2,000 attended from around the nation.

For East Lansing, home to Michigan State University, the first non discrimination city ordinance was passed in the nation in 1962, and will mark 40 years next year. Today MI has 17 municipalities that have non discrimination ordinances and the nation nearly 200 municipalities. The Mayor of East Lansing this year at Michigan Pride stood on the steps of the Capital with the mayor of Lansing Virg Bernero who ran as the Dem Governor candidates in 2010. Virg spoke and has spoken historically for equality as his brother was a gay man who is no longer with us.

While areas of the nation are moving forward in equality efforts and focusing on growing jobs, the economy and families, communities some feel that Michigan via these bills is going backwards with attacks on the labor, unions and minority communities. We as a nation need to support MI with calls to the MI Senate to support the need to block the attacks on the labor, workers rights, local governing, educators, diversity, and LBGT / same sex couples who are banned from marriage and now from providing for partner and children in the household.

The argument against this bill being made that this is going to drain to academically talent that is in our state, and turn away recruiting new talents to our universities, and removes health benefits now for partners of unmarried gay and straight couples, as well as the children and dependents in the household. Meaning lose of preventive medical services, current necessary medical services if not paid out of pocket, and leaves less money being spent in the local community.

Governor Synder has veto this earlier this year and the governor is a republican, who during his campaign ran with he wants to run MI like a business. The argument today can be held that many Fortune 500 companies today do have domestic partner benefits provided to retain and recruit the best talents. MI needs this as our universities are one of our best economies, as Rep. Jeff Irwin (D) of Ann Arbor outlined, his district home of University of Michigan has the best employment rates in all of MI with as low as 3% versus the state nearly 10%, due to the university that has lead in diversity, civil rights, and a international ranked research institution.

The battle is not over, the next step is taking action in the Senate as the bill will go to the Floor to be read upon a senator to introduce the bill.

Then it will be voted to be moved to a committee which is yet not known, and civil rights lobbyist around Michigan and the nation are watching to keep the community up to date for actions.

At that committee we the people can give public comment, testimony why not to pass this bill and EPICA Consulting will be there. Anyone from the public is welcome to attend during this time to give testimony or to be in the chambers and submit their organization, business or self as opposed on record without having to give testimony.

It is there we can hope to shut this down by calling our State Senators and the Governor’s office to ask to veto this bill if it comes to his desk.

If it passes out of the Senate Committee that it is assigned then it will become the third reading of the bill to go before the Senate Floor for vote where we would have to strongly as a state react with overloading the emails, mail and phone lines and media with our set message of opposed to this bill. If it passed that senate floor vote it would go to the Governors Desk where he can sign it or veto it. If signed we are then left to legally challenge it like California is still with 2008 Prop 8 that is still in debates today in court.

So CALL the MI Senators today, email, mail, meet in district, meet in Lansing even, and write your local paper.

Senate Majority Speaker (R) Senator Randy Richardville office is 517-373-3543 a moderate who has voted with the anti bullying bill that included sexual orientation and gender identity/expression and is likely to be open to dialogue on this issue, so stay with why this could harm our state and ask for the vote to oppose this when it comes to the Senate.

Senate Minority Speaker (D) Senator Gretchen Whitmer office is 517-373-1734 who represents the Lansing and East Lansing area home to Michigan State University. Senator Whitmer is a stanch defender of education and is the leader of the Dem Caucus in the Senate and will know more about the happenings, and very likely to be opposed to this bill.

Senator Rebekah Warren office is 517-373-2406 who represents Ann Arbor area home of University of Michigan and is a stanch supporter of education, and of LBGT issues in the community, having worked with second parent adoption, Elliot Larson the MI State Hate Crime bill still tied up, and with the state anti bullying bill to include sexual orientation and gender identity also still tied up. It is very likely Senator Rebekah Warren will be opposed and to be a leading voice on opposition to seeing this bill pass the Senate.

To contact your other state Senators you can find their information at http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(ampnw055uyq1fc2e4sb3qoa2))/mileg.aspx?page=legislators

Take the ACTION proactively to call the MI senators and tell them:

- Your Name

- Address

- Phone number

- That you are opposed to the House that bill would prohibit the state universities from providing domestic partner benefits to its employees.

- Insert your personal story, of how it affects you in work, housing, relatives, friends, coworker, this turns you away from studying, living, traveling, working, family, etc in MI.

- This is unconstitutional to powers granted to the state universities to self govern with their locally elected board who determine the state university’s employee compensation.

- This attacks labor, and workers

- That business today give these benefits, and the Governor a Republican has already veto this before.

- This will cost the state legal issues and costs the state money that is tax payers

- This removes health care to children in these households

- This attacks the labor and workers of public services once again who keep taking the cuts in Michigan

- That this is an attack on LBGT community that during this economy time should not be our focus!

Thank them for your time and ask them directly can I count on your vote to block this from passing in the Senate? If they dont give a direct answer follow up quickly when will you know for me to call back?

You can also meet with the State Senators in their home districts at coffee hours, events, or write emails, letters with that information on their page, again the link to the MI Legislators for that information: http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(ampnw055uyq1fc2e4sb3qoa2))/mileg.aspx?page=legislators 

HalfofUS.com reports that 1 in 2 people struggle with substance abuse, addictions, depression, anxiety, ADHD, autism, showing us temporary, lose of control, to born and life long challenges to address in mental health in our overall wellness of living.

From LBGT youth coming out, to bullying that affects us all in various ways, to PSD for our veterans, and morning lose of a loved one, economic stress in our current times, and more.

For several years now I have spoken out during this week, with the Trevor Project’s slogan as it real for me

 ”I am proud I failed at Suicide because my life is amazing today”

as I shared my own struggle w/ suicide at coming out several years ago now and then years heading a organization for LBGT youth mental health Project Light – to work with American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Walks www.afsp.org – anti bullying efforts that I am still to this day appearing in MI capital to talk with legislaturs about passing our states anti bullying bill, and talking with communities. All of this came from and only because of one thing, TALKING about it.

Talking to friends to come out,

Talking to a peers,

Talking to counselors,

Talking on national TV, radio, blogs, and event MTV-U as part of a PSA last years that aired nationally due to the work I did with Jed Foundation and partnered message with the Trevor Project to talk about that Half of Us campaign, as 1 in 2 people in their lifetime will struggle with mental health. Talking was all that was done and all that was needed so LETS TALK ABOUT IT.

http://www.halfofus.com/tags/Adam Taylor/Discrimination and Depression: Taking Control

Talking about it to this day helps me, and has helped my friends know to come to me and talk about it.  Talking in the process of life to work with my life having ADHD, and anxiety challenges in day to day living happens to this day in fact just an hour before this blog post was written.

So please join me and countless others in TALK TO ME campaign and hers is the how:

Detroit Dems gathering for Dinner on a Friday night along the river front and investing in leaders to serve the people in fairness, equality, jobs, opportunies.

Join the campaign to delete cyberbullying and digital drama and continue the support so critically needed to counter bullying in all forms, as we get near the start of a new school year in the fall where students in the transition are affected heavily from bullying. Together we are making it better now for the youth and for each others communities.

1- If you see cyberbullying online don’t add to it, delete, ignore or engage with information of how this is harmful.

2- Contact your legislators and tell them you support comprehensive anti bullying legislation/policy.

1. Michigan needs your help, as MI is 1 of 4 states without a state legislation/bill passed to counter bullying in K-12. MI has been in dialogue on it since 2001, and lost many youth and students.
2. MI House Bill 4163  as intro by  Rep. Philip Potvin is moving and needs support to be made enumerated, to have reporting and includes currently tele-communication/cyber. Once made inclusive and comprehensive it needs to be passed. Call the Legislators and tell them you support comprehensive anti bullying legislation with enumeration to be added, (517) 373-1747 for Rep. Philip Potvin
3. MI Senate Bill 137 as intro by Senator Rick Jones of Grand Ledge.  Call Senator Rick Jones (517) 373-3447
   to tell him you support the efforts SB137 but to be inclusive it needs to have the high risk populations to be addressed and acknowledged the problem so we can work on it, thus we must have enumeration added.
4. Federally, tell your legislators you support Safe Schools Improvement Act and Student Non Discrimination Act as intro by GLSEN and recommended by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Find your legislator and how to contact them – http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

3- Get educated, and support legislative advocacy efforts to pass anti bullying legislation in MI - 

At EPICA Consulting LLC, we are a filed lobbyist agent working heavily in getting legislation in Michigan to pass that will make inclusive safer schools for all our students, and delete cyberbullying we need your support. Staying up on legislation, traveling to Lansing often and meeting with legislators, giving testimony in committees, and reporting back to the non profits, people in evening meetings, media, and rallying efforts such as todays message is not free. It costs $200+ a day to operate lobbying, travel, messaging to help the well over 1 million students in schools in Michigan, and no price can be put on our youth/students well being and growth.

Your supportive program related investments are critical to keeping the updates coming out, and taking your voices to the testimony, legislators, and building the base to make it better now to delete bullying in all its forms. Please invest in our most precious resource the safety of our youth and send $10, $25, $50 or more made out to EPICA Consulting with anti bullying on the memo line, and mailed to EPICA Consulting LLC Atten: Adam Taylor, PO Box 93005, Wixom, MI, 48393.

Key information sources that are engaged on anti bullying around the nation:

1. Safe Schools Action Network  - http://safeschoolsNOW.org/
2. BullyPolice,   - http://www.bullypolice.org/ 
3. The Trevor Project- LBGT Crisis 24/7 Hotline nationally – http://www.thetrevorproject.org/ 
4. Gay Lesbian Student Education Network, publishing the national report on bullying and recommendations for countering – www.glsen.org 
5. The National Effort put out by the White House Conference to Stop Bullying and report bullying issues - http://www.stopbullying.gov/ 

Hi folks,

Many of you may already be aware of the historic battle for marriage equality taking place in New York. We are currently one “yes” vote shy of marriage equality passing the Senate but the opposition is fighting dirty and having non-NY`ers call our Senators in opposition to marriage equality. Well, if they are going to fight dirty, so are we!!

Please call Senators Grisanti (716-854-8705) and Gallivan (716-656-8544) and demand they support marriage equality. Both of these Buffalo area senators are currently undecided as to how they will vote so we need to make sure they are hearing from more pro-equality folks, like us, than from the opposition. Please take a moment NOW to support your fellow pro-equality fighters by adding your voice to the supportive choir.

We are also calling Sen. Skelos (518-455-3171), the Republican Majority Leader who is responsible for bringing the bill to a vote on the Senate floor, and DEMANDING that he keep his promise to bring marriage equality to a vote. Rummors are flying that he is stalling to run out the clock. The legislative session ends on Monday so it is imperative the he calls for a vote early Monday…please call, call, call….!!!

You can also call the New York Senate switchboard (518-455-2800) and ask to be transfered to any of the following senators` offices: Stephen Saland, Jack Martins, Andrew Lanza, Mark Grisanti, Greg Ball, Kemp Hannon, Charles Fuschillo, Betty Little, or Patrick Gallivan. This is the latest list of senators who are currently undecided on the issue and are the crutial keys to ensuring equality for all. We have made great progress over the last month, securing an additional 5 “yes” votes, but that will not result in the historic change to allow ALL loving NY`ers to marry unless we get that last “yes” senator and the bill is brought to a vote. There are typically only a few occasions in one`s life when they can be a part of changing the course of history for the better….will you miss this opportunity?? I know you wouldn’t!!! Thank you for your support and your voice in these FINAL hours…PLEASE ACT NOW to ensure your voice is added to the right side of history.

Yours in equality,

Peter Hubbard

A New Yorker for Marriage Equality

Today MI anti bullying legislation is moving in the Senate and your voice needs to be heard today! Students are not protected and daily face bullying with no protections because Michigan is 1 in 5 state left with no anti bullying legislation. So far in  2011, MI has lost 5 of our youth to bullicide, suicide that comes from the effects of bullying daily. As a Michigander Against Bullying In Schools (MABIS) then you might agree its time to pass legislation to protect our youth, and act before we lose another student. We have the legislation on the Senate floor, Senate Bill 137 and it needs your action of speaking demanding that amendments be added to make it as the Governor as stated he wants passed, a comprehensive bill that includes all our students.

3 ways  to support right now! Call your legislator, contribute to support operations, attend events and volunteer. Read the details below!

1-  Call your state senator and tell them to support comprehensive anti bullying legislation by amendments to SB 137 on the senate floor to come from Senator Anderson. 

Check your location to your senator:   http://www.senate.michigan.gov/FindYourSenator/byaddress.htm  or by the directory here: http://www.senate.michigan.gov/members/alphamemberlist.htm 

Call Senator Rick Jones, Chair of the Judiciary Committee (Grand Ledge area)- 517-373-5849  to support amendments on the Senate floor to make SB 137 effective and comprehensive.

Call Senator Randy Richardville, Majority Leader of the Senate 517-373-3543 and call on him to support enumeration added to SB 137. Note he has voted in the past for enumerated anti bullying bills, we need his support again for the youth.

Call Senator Anderson’s office 517-373-1707 to thank for the year so of pushing the best bill we had SB45 that at this time is not moving and to support his office in proposing amendments to the SB 137 on the Senate floor when it is voted on, to make it inclusive, comprehensive and effective.

Remember to call and thank Senators who have supported and to let them know just how many of us in Michigan are standing with them for this, and to hold those not voting for our youth to be accountable for these votes often matching with the votes that are making record cuts to the education budgets for K-12 as well.

2- Contributions keep the program operations going to keep printing materials coming out, traveling for our consulting coordinator Adam Taylor around the state, as well as online we operations, community dialogues, calls, and dialogues with legislators, schools, partner organizations as well as efforts to have multiple lobby days to name a few activities. Without your support of making calls, coming out to talk to your legislators, friends, networks and making a $50 or other contribution support to cover the expenses we can not keep the pressure to pass SB 137 with amendments to have comprehensive anti bullying legislation in Michigan schools. 

Make checks out to EPICA Consulting LLC/Adam Taylor and put on the memo line MABIS. You must put MABIS on the memo line or the check will be returned to you. Upon receiving the check/donation a invoice/statement will be emailed/mailed to you on receiving your supportive contribution, what it will allow MABIS to conduct, and updates of the legislation. This will be in effect for 1-2 weeks until the filing for a PAC is completed and we have a updated website and message to you. Thank you for your support.

Mail to:

EPICA Consulting/ MABIS
24320 Seneca Ave,
Oak Park, MI
48237

If you wish to volunteer and support by being an advocate of MABIS please contact adam.mabis@yahoo.com or give a call to 810.479.6897 and we will get you information, events and what actions are needed to what you can give to get more support moving for inclusive safe schools in Michigan.

 3- Events:  

May 12^th – Rally for the Children 11am to 2pm at the Capital steps, we need your support in showing up and making it heard by the legislators that Michiganders are against bullying in schools, and seeking our legislators in the Senate to step it up and vote for the passage of comprehensive anti bullying legislation.  www.mattepling.com and www.bullypolice.com

May 14^th- Detroit Youth Roundtable, discussing solutions to issues that youth see in their communities and schools that are reported to the White House- 2727 Second Street, Detroit learn more contact Brandon Jessup @ Brandon.jessup@gmail.com who is the founder and Director of Moving Michigan Forward http://www.michiganforward.org

May 14^th- Gay Together in Faith Conference (GIFT) full day event at Pilgrim Church, Lansing http://www.gaysinfaithtogether.org/ (organization is homed in Grand Rapids)

May 14^th- Detroit PFLAG hosts the annual fundraiser dinner to support the work of Parents Friends of Lesbians and Gays throughout Michigan. Tickets are $60 and will be at the Ukraine Center in Detroit from 6:00-10:00pm. Contact Pam Harzlett for more information mailto:spankycatsmom@yahoo.com

May 15^th – Symposium addresses bullying 1:00pm to 6:00pm at 28123 Orchard Lake Road, Detroit

May 21^st – Michigan Progressive Policy Summit 2011 in Lansing, includes workshops on anti bullying to learn more speak with Karen DeMott and visit http://themichigansummit.org/category/progressive/

More events to come in time, if you have events please let us know by sharing to adam.mabis@yahoo.com or call 810.479.6897. If you wish to have MABIS table, attend, work with, speak you can request this, as well.

Thank you for the support.

My name is Adam Taylor and I am a Michigander as well as a business owner – EPICA Consulting LLC, and I support MABIS, Michiganders Against Bullying In Schools because, I was bullied as a youth for being a military brat outsider that moved in, for having a high pitched voice during puberty, for being a tech geek and a book worm, for having lots of energy as someone with ADHD and later in life for being gay. My youth I was told it will get better the issue is I got older and I still see youth today suffering. Because of this I support MABIS as a Michiganigan Against Bullying In Schools because

• Michigan in 2011 has lost 4 youth to bullycides, which are suicides, that result from the ongoing effects of bullying?!
• Michigan is 1 of only 5 states in the US that has NO anti bullying legislation state wide?!
• Governor Snyder this week spoke in his Education Address that Michigan needs comphrensive anti bullying legislation that covers all our youth and to have it in place by the fall start of the new school year.

MABIS agrees with Governor Synder to have comprehensive as well inclusive anti bullying legislation in place and community action to conduct it by the start of 2011-2012 School year. Meanwhile some of Michigan’s Senators are not voting on the values that our youth should be free from fear, and free to have equal learning opportunities.

For example Senator Rick Jones the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee is holding back SB45 the bill that enumerates to be inclusive, includes educational components, defines bullying, brings communities to dialogue on the school districts policy and addresses Cyberbullying.

Take action against bullying right now by:

1. Visiting www.stopmichiganbullying.org
2. Sign the petition to tell Michigan Senators like Senator Rick Jones to vote to support and see the passage of SB 45 as they vote in May.
3. Contribute today, $25, $100 $250 $500 or other to raise the $5,000 necessary in May to conduct the mission of MABIS as a community program. Remember that a monthly give allows more time to be spend in the field working with communities.

** Your contributions are program related investments to support the programs and are not tax deductable, as MABIS is a community program and not a non profit.

For Business owners, non profits, community organization and elected officials: your program related investment is a good way to invest in being seen in communities all around Michigan as a business, non profit, organization or elected official that is paying it forward and investing in the future of Michigan via our youth.

• Endorsement – 1 page or less statement of supporting passage of SB 45 / HB 4173 your actions to support, contact info w/logo (to post on our site), and appropriate signatures then emailed to staff.mabis@gmail.com along with a asked payment of $100.00. If payment is a barrier contact us.
• Program investment of $250 or more gets you listed as a sponsor on our website and included in message to MABIS list servs going on online.
• Program investment of $500 or more gets you on the website sponsors page, on email alerts and listed in press releases, newsletters and logo on t-shirts, and other field materials.
• Program investments of monthly supports are greatly appreciated

Stay tuned as we update the list of sponsors, endorsements and special thanks to Michiganians standing up against bullying. Thank you for your support, and time. If you have any questions, comments or concerns please visit our website www.stopmichiganbullying.org and go to the contact us page.

Michigan in May will be marking 10 years since the introduction of anti bullying legislation by then Rep. Buzz Thomas and is still working to get it passed with two bills in the Senate Judiciary Committee currently. With the current budget talks the weeks meeting to vote in committee on the bills was postpone until next week and could be repeated until the budget is balanced by the end of May. These delays, loses and issues have left many advocates for inclusive safe schools wanting enumerated SB 45 intro by Senator Anderson getting worn out and frustrated but keeping pressure to vote for all our youth and do it now.

Governor Synder yesterday publicly stated during the Education Address the issue of bullying must be addressed in Michigan, but did not say which piece of legislation to support and stood by the statements that the schools locally must form the policy to the guidelines of the state requesting they have something. Linking that the Dept of Edcuation of Michigan already has policies ready for schools to take up and modify.

His statements in the address:

The harm caused by bullying is not under debate. Studies have long shown that it leads to low self-esteem, depression, poor academic achievement, truancy, and even suicide. School is not a house of learning for a bullying victim; it is a house of pain. A bullied student is not only being tormented; he or she is being denied an equal opportunity to a quality education.

Even the home is no longer a refuge for the bullying victim. Much of bullying today takes place on the internet, cell phone text services and by other electronic means. Such ―cyber bullying‖ may not always take place on school property or during school hours, but when it is between students it must be recognized as a school issue. And because bullying is a school issue, it must be dealt with in school – before it becomes a law enforcement issue.

Many Michigan schools already have good anti-bullying policies in place and we need to ensure that every school has one. School policies cannot be designed to only cover some students – every school must protect every student. And, as adults, we need to be clear in both word and deed – bullying is always wrong.

I am asking the legislature to pass a comprehensive anti-bullying bill that will be in place for the next school year. The bill need not tell each school how to deal with bullying, but it must require that they have clear policies do so. The State Board of Education already has developed a model policy that every district can look to as they develop their own.

Michigan students should not suffer because we fail to act.

http://media.mlive.com/elections_impact/other/SpecialMessageonEducationReform_351586_7.pdf

Call the Governors Office (517) 373-3400 today and tell him we have the bill and its SB 45 as introduce by Senator Anderson and then call Senator Rick Jones 517-373-3447 the Chair of the Senate Judicracy Committee which holds the bill and tell him to vote the bill to the Senate Floor where it can be passed. The time is now and the Governor is ready for making it better now, our youth are ready and this is a simple matter of values. Youth should be free from fear, have equal opporutnities of education, and we must as Michigians let the elected officals know this at the capital and be workign in our communities to make this better now as well.

To learn more information visit: www.stopmichiganbullying.org get information, sign the petition and share it with your friends.

Youth talking at Detroit Roundtable on issues to the Whitehouse

Today, Detroit youth round table gathered at the Detroit High Technology Community Center of Detroit, where youth from the Detroit area gather to discuss the issues they see in the community and what their solutions are. Their issues ranged from their opportunities for college, higher education, technology access for students to have equal learning opportunities, employment, feeling safe in their schools, anti bullying. Then matched with talking about how to work with make sure issues have solutions, to have technology for every student in America, to have inclusive safe schools, better means for all students to aim at attending and making it to college, to those who get a college education to pay off their student loans. Ranging from having students learning how to fix the school computers for programs, having small business tax breaks for community business working with schools on services, and values of fairness and equity in opportunities.

Inclusive Safe schools NOW! www.stopmichiganbullying.org

Technology and innovation now, talk to the Michigan Education Association www.michigan.gov/education 

Talking about how to cut back on student loans, and combat on fraud into the bills at the schools, and the book stores in how much the books are costing, housing on college campuses, and spending money responsible.

]]> http://adamleben.wordpress.com/2011/04/23/detroit-youth-roundtable-gives-issues-w-solutions-to-white-house/feed/ 0 42.340651 -83.061196 42.340651 -83.061196 ProfessionalHomo 2011-04-23 17.32.14 http://adamleben.wordpress.com/2011/04/15/day-of-silence-2011-breaking-the-silence-on-bullying-needs-your-voice/ http://adamleben.wordpress.com/2011/04/15/day-of-silence-2011-breaking-the-silence-on-bullying-needs-your-voice/#comments Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:03:53 +0000 Adam Taylor http://adamleben.wordpress.com/?p=2968 ]]> Today is the annual National Day of Silence, in which hundreds of thousands of students nationwide take a vow of silence to bring attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in their schools.

Today is the Day of Silence 2011 (http://www.dayofsilence.org/) and an estimated 400,000 or more  students from all identities, will show support to Lesbian Bisexual Gay Transgender, Queer, Questioning, students who are subject daily to bullying, harassement, lack of support, rejection, and so much more. Students and their supportive teachers, and community members will see in large numbers today a simple message, their silence is their protest today from 8am to 5pm, ending the day with Breaking the Silence where in locations throughout the nation, students will make nose, gather, and discuss in venues the needs for Gay Striaght Alliances in schools, for safe places, dialouge, education, acceptance of diversity, and communities/schools to step up and join them in saying no to bullying.

SILENCE IS OUR PROTEST, was the black letters on a plain white shirt I wore this day in 2006 as the founder and President of the Marysville, Michigan Gay Straight Alliance. As a 17 year old recently out gay youth, I had filed my first hate crime, had been physically and verbally targeted and subject to property damage already. Allies, and not out youth formed and we fundraised our shirts by collecting bottles and can from people in the community, turning them in and getting the money to pay for our shirts, and meetings that we could not have on the school. The administration pulled me into offices to say I could not wear the shirt, hand out GLSEN.org information quarter sheets and I would be subject to teachers who did not support this punishing me and any supporter I “pushed” into the event.

The administration got a call from a lawyer, after one my friends an ally called her mother during lunch and told her mother mom I dont want you to be upset I might get sent home for supporting Adam and others in the schools in Day of Silence. Her family a strongly leaning republican family, and well respected in the town, said bullying was wrong no matter who it was against, and the school would not bullying students standing up for themselves. Right after lunch days before DOS I was pulled out of class to the administration office yet again. The principle wanted to know why I was causing such a issue over my sexual preference, and why parents were calling in, and showed up at the supers office with a information sheet from the ACLU of Michigan on Equal Rights Act.

My friend and ally call to her mother was heard loud and clear, in fact in 2 hours time her mother had contacted the ACLU, and other parents who were allies, and parents to youth who were percieved to be different, queer but not out and for fear of being out. These parents knew my story of being 1 of 2 students out in a school of 600+ students. They were shocked at the school, and were requesting this be resolved or to call a public school board meeting to address this. The school not wanting the issues getting into local news agreed to talk to parents, and I was checked out of classes by the allies mother to walk over to the supers office and talk, and share my daily story of being bullied.

The Day of Silence was allowed but with no support from the administration, no teachers to publicly support it, and parents who could not enter the school during the day. For the day, nearly 25 students wore SILENCE IS OUR PROTEST in black letters on white shirts throughout the day, or parts of the day many of them being order to remove the shirt as it was not allowed in teh classroom. During lunch a fight broke out in which a freshmen student who had confined in me he had come out to his parents but his parents and him agreed it was not safe to be out at school. He was being pushed, and yelled at with terms of faggot, and homo lover take off the shirt. I put myself in between these two peer students and took hits to the chest, and broke it up.

The lunch period an ally and friend I found on the verge of tears as she was verbally bombarded with, fag hag, red head slut, and your a fag lover…..because she dared to be friends with me, and to support for the day. The day was hard, it was long and it made a difference as the first day of silence ever in the school!

Today Marysville will not have a formal DOS. It will have though a handful of out LBGTQ youth,  because the door was opened to that closest and youth are coming out, and they are daily living their lifes and creating the change they NEED but need more support. Marysville 2006 Day of Silence is just a part of my story, and a singluar story of countless thousands around the nation today and every day.

Action is needed We Make It Better Now through action to combat bullying for all our students in all their identities. I was bullied for being a nerd, a metal mouth, skinny akward kid, and book worm before I was bullied the worst for being gay. Together we are one people and we must raise our voice against bullying, and here is how!

• If you see bullying, say something, and call the national bullying hotline 313.226.9151
• Check out the federal government resource and action page to combat bullying www.stopbullying.gov 
• We need you to attend your schools public board meetings
• Michigan citizens, call your elected official and tell them you support enumerated anti bullying bill SB45, that works for inclusive safe schools. Call 517-373-1630 and tell them your town and they will direct you to the your MI house and senate elected official.
• If your in Michigan call 517-373-3447 and tell Senator Rick Jones, his vote is needed  for enumerated anti bullying SB 45  that he has the power to move in the committee he chairs,
• Join Michigan Senate Judicary Committee on April 26th at 2:30pm in Lansing in Farnum Building Room 110 to show support and give public testimony for inclusive safe schools as the committee votes on anti bullying policies, that needs to include enumeration as in SB 45, education compoments, and community dialouges to pass and implement a policy that communities and can work with to address their youth safety and inclusion in their/our schools. To learn more, get copies of materials, give letters to share in the committee or even to carpool to the meeting please email me adamleben@gmail.com 

SILENCE IS THE PROTEST today of nearly half a million youth today in our schools. They need more voices to join them in their communities, schools, and law makers offices address making schools inlcusiv and safe. No youth should lose the opportunties of their education, due to lack of safety and to daily being put down for being different.