BENT! The Gay News Blog

US principal resigns after ‘telling gay students they were going to hell’

Source:

Stephen Gray
2 March 2012

Dorothy Bond

A high school principal in the US state of Tennessee has stood down following allegations she told gays students they were ‘going to hell’. The Jackson Sun reported that Dorothy Bond of the Haywood County High School had resigned yesterday. The Board said: “The Haywood County Board of Education acknowledges its student body’s right to free speech.
“Further, the Haywood County Board of Education strives to provide an atmosphere of tolerance and diversity while maintaining high academic standards.”
Bond was alleged to have made homophobic comments in a meeting with students but has not responded personally to the reports. ABC 24 reported that one student, who was not present, said: “She directly pointed to the gay people and said if you’re gay you’re going to hell and if you’re pregnant, you’re life is over.”
Reports also emerged of the assembly in February at which Bond was said to have told gay students were “not on God’s path” and that they were “ruining their lives.” The American Civil Liberties Union said today it had received reports that Bond told gay students they could be suspended or expelled for physical contact.
One parent said:“A couple of years ago when she was principal over at Sunny Hill one of my children had his hair in braids. At an assembly she told the young men if they’re sitting between the legs of a girl getting their hair braided for a few hours, that they must be gay.”
The school district said at the time of the reports that it did not condone discrimination of administrators, faculty, or students on the basis of s.ex, race, colour, religion, or national origin.


Newcastle United football player fined £6,000 for anti-gay tweet

Source:

Stephen Gray
2 March 2012

Nile Ranger

Two more footballers have been fined for making anti-gay comments on Twitter. Nile Ranger, a forward for Newcastle FC and another player Walsall’s Manny Smith have been handed fines by the FA for their conduct. Ranger must pay a fine of £6,000, Smith a fine of £1,200. The pair were accused of acting in a way which was “improper and/or brought the game into disrepute”, including “a reference to a person’s or persons’ s.exual orientation” along with Federico Macheda, on whom details have not been released. The FA said: “Newcastle United’s Nile Ranger and Walsall’s Manny Smith have been fined £6,000 and £1,200 respectively and both warned as to their future conduct after each admitting a charge of using abusive and/or insulting words including a reference to a person’s s.exual orientation"

The charges relate to Twitter comments and both players requested a paper hearing.” Meaning they did not have to attend court. The content of the tweets is not known.


Canadians say bullying should be a crime
Expert says bullying is a behaviour that is changed through education and information

Source:

Morgan Modjeski
3 March 2012
Abridged version

A new Angus Reid poll has found that the majority of Canadians think bullying should be considered a crime, but one expert says it may not be the best way to address the issue. The poll, released Wednesday, says out of 1,006 Canadian’s surveyed, 65% feel bullying should be considered a crime, even if there is no physical violence involved. 19% feel bullying should be a crime only when physical violence is involved and only 6% said it shouldn’t be considered a crime. 58% of people who were interviewed in Alberta said bullying should be a criminal offence. The study also found 94% of those surveyed felt bullying is a “serious” problem in middle school and elementary schools and 88% surveyed said it was a serious problem in high school.

Another finding that came out of the study was that the majority of those interviewed feel the Internet needs to be taken into consideration in terms of cyber-bullying and online abuse. The Angus Reid study was released on Pink Shirt Day, an event that occurs across the country on Feb. 29, where students wear pink shirts to battle bullying and raise awareness about the issue, something organizers say is extremely important.

Jen Schaeffers, a spokes person for Pink Shirt Day Canada, said one of the best ways to combat an issue is to make the public aware it’s occurring. This year roughly 60,000 pink shirts were sold across Canada and proceeds go to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada.

Myth

Gay, Lesbian, And Bis.exual People Choose Their S.exual Orientation.

Fact

The only place choice comes into play is when they decide how they will acknowledge their identity. Choosing if and how to 'come out' and choosing who to tell.




Some people think I am gay, which I think is awesome
Daniel Radcliffe

If the tenth of the population that is gay became visible tomorrow, the panic of the majority of people would inspire repressive legislation of a sort that would shock even the pessimists among us.
Jane Rule

All parents should be aware that when they mock or curse gay people, they may be mocking or cursing their own child.
Anna Quindlen

Yeah, I have gay friends. The first thing I realized was that everybody's different, and it becomes obvious that all of the gay stereotypes are ridiculous.
Bruce Springsteen