HRC Blog

On October 28, 2010, the Office for Civil Right (OCR) at the Department of Education received a complaint from the mother of Seth Walsh, a 13 year-old gay student who committed suicide weeks earlier. The complaint alleged that, prior to his death, Seth was subject to chronic sex-based harassment by his peers at a California middle school and that, despite having notice of the harassment, the school district failed to respond appropriately. The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) joined OCR in the resolution of the complaint.

HRC's Call it Out campaign is highlighting recent comments from Tea Party activisit Rich Swier. In response to a statistic that said 77 percent of bullied youth were targeted due to their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity, Swier said bullying “is peer pressure and it is healthy.” Swier went on to compare being gay to behaviors like smoking, underage drinking and drug abuse.

Last week, in the video below, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan addressed the first LGBT Youth Summit in Washington, DC. In the video, the Secretary highlights an upcoming letter from the Department of Education that will affirm the right of students to form Gay-Straight Alliances under the Equal Access Act.

HRC responded today to 30 Rock star and comedian Tracy Morgan's apology for anti-gay remarks he made during a recent comedy routine in Nashville, and called on Morgan to do more to make it right.

I was honored to represent HRC at the first ever Federal LGBT Youth Summit these fast two days, hosted by the Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools. In addition to Secretary Kevin Jennings and many of his DOE staff members, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Department of Justice, and other federal agencies were well represented. Many of the federal agency representatives “came out” as LGBT while speaking at the two-day meeting, and for some- especially those who have worked in Government positions for many years- it was an emotional experience. For years, these dedicated LGBT and ally professionals had to keep a low profile. Often times the best they could do was to find creative (covert) approaches to fund and implement any LGBT-inclusive programs. History was made today. This summit is unprecedented and would not be possible without a genuinely supportive President and Administration, including Secretary Arne Duncan and his staff.