Tweet Of The Day

@nathansreality has made a name for himself in recent weeks for producing a number of viral tweets and videos.  The purpose behind his posts are to stop bullying.  They're highly effective.

#NeverTellAGirl she is ugly, fat/overweight.  This is what happens.

I highly recommend watching his latest video.  Trigger warning:  References to suicide.

The Most Difficult Four And A Half Minutes Of Video You'll See Today

This is Jonah.

This is a video that he posted on YouTube in August.

He's entering eighth grade this year.

He has been continually bullied since the first grade.



Parents, it is of the utmost importance that you have an active role in your child's life.  There are hundreds of thousands of children just like Jonah.  Get involved.  Talk to school administrators.  Petition the school board for tougher regulations on bullying.  This isn't just an issue with gay kids.  Just last month, a 10 year old Illinois girl committed suicide after bullies continually taunted her; calling her "fat" and "ugly".

If your kid is the subject of bullying, get them into a structured therapy program.  As someone that was preyed upon regularly for more than a decade by their schoolmates, I can tell you that the trauma has long term effects.  The depression and lack of self worth last many times well into adulthood.  Therapy helps to break the cycle of being the victim.

Lastly, if you are reading this, do me a personal favor:  go to the YouTube link for Jonah's video and leave him a message of encouragement.  He needs a friend right now.  

Sunday Confessional: My First Job - The One I've Never Talked About

Note:  I've never been a believer of "The names have been changed to protect the innocent".  Fuck the innocent. If they were so innocent, I wouldn't be writing about them.

When I talk to people about my first job, I tell them that I worked at a men's clothing store in the mall.  I sold suits and dress shirts for $5.75 an hour, starting the summer between my sophomore and junior years of high school.

The truth is, I had another job earlier that summer.  I went to work for a business that was owned by one of my Jehovah's Witness "brothers".  He made working conditions so unbelievably horrific, I was forced to quit after three days.

I was talking to an old friend a couple of weeks ago, and she brought up Bill Sturgis.  Immediately, my shoulders tensed up and tears started to fill my eyes.

Video: Rise Against - 'Make It Stop' (September's Children)

September 2010 was a horrific month for LGBT youth.  It seemed like every day, there was a report of another gay teen that had committed suicide to escape the bullying from other kids at school.  A year later, the names of some of these young men still are fresh in are memory - Seth Walsh, Tyler Clementi, Billy Lucas and Asher Brown.

With the advent of It Gets Better, hopefully some lives have been saved.  I would like to think the large number of pop songs on the market has helped to bring a positive message to those feeling desperate and at their lowest point.  P!nk released 'Fuckin' Perfect'.  Katy Perry came out with 'Firework'.  And, of course, you can't forget Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way'.

Support also came from the rock industry.  Rise Against, who are activists in their own right, recently released 'Make It Stop'.  In my opinion, it has much more substance than any of the other songs that have come out referencing the issue.  Take a look.

Anti-Bullying Flash Mob Becomes Viral Hit

On January 27th, 300 students from David Lloyd George Elementary and Churchill Secondary schools, in Vancouver, British Columbia, came together to spread a message of acceptance.  They met at the Oakridge Centre, a local mall in Vancouver, and, with the help of some teachers and a choreographer, put together a performance that has been seen nearly 140,000 times in the last week.  Take a look:



Why the pink shirts? In Canada, the last Wednesday in February is Anti-Bullying Day, also known as "Pink Shirt Day".  It was started in 2008 in Nova Scotia, after a student was bullied for wearing a pink shirt on the first day of school.  It was then adopted nationwide the following year.

Remember, bullying can be toward many demographics.  There was a lot of media attention recently about gay and lesbian kids that took their lives due to constant bullying for others at school.  What you don't hear on the news are the stories of the young men and women that take their lives because they're endlessly ridiculed for being overweight or looking different than everyone else.  Bullying is bullying, regardless or the reason why, it's unacceptable.

It wasn't until after seeing this video a couple of times that I realized it, but Bruno Mars' 'Just The Way You Are' is a very affirming body positive/fat positive song that is on the radio currently.  He doesn't mention any specifics about his significant other's body or facial features, but reassures her that those things she sees as flaws are, in fact, perfect.  It's ironic, though, that the video has him singing the song to a woman that is practically a supermodel.  What a good song, but what a bad example to set.