Site News for December 9, 2011

My apologies for not updating this week. I'm in the middle of finals and am devoting all of my time to finishing quality work. Updates for The Acceptivity Project will resume later next week. Thank you.

Video: Michelle Bachman on Gay Marriage

Here is a video to accompany the previous post. I've experienced enough secondhand embarassment today and therefore have not watched it.

Michele Bachmann: Gay People Can Get Married -- But Only To Members Of The Opposite Sex

Be warned, this is rather frustrating to read. Mrs. Bachman's logic is twisted, to say the least.

GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann saysgay people do have the right to get married -- so long as they're planning on tying the knot with a member of the opposite sex.

The Minnesota congresswoman was campaigning in Iowa Wednesday addressing a group of high school students when Jane Schmidt, president of Waverly High School's Gay-Straight Alliance, confronted her on same-sex marriage rights.

Bachmann had just finished explaining that the purpose of government was to ensure that the civil rights of all Americans are protected.

"We all have the same civil rights," Bachmann said, according to the Des Moines Register, providing an opportunity for Schmidt to press her.

"Then, why can't same-sex couples get married?" Schmidt asked.

"They can get married," Bachmann responded. "But they abide by the same law as everyone else. They can marry a man if they're a woman. Or they can marry a woman if they're a man."

Bachmann later went on to clarify her belief that "there are no special rights for people based upon your sex practices. There's no special rights based upon what you do in your sex life."

While Bachmann's comments are unlikely to prove helpful to gay marriage advocates, they are consistent with her record on the broader issue of gay rights.

Bachmann has referred to homosexuality as a condition or disorder and claimed that it encourages child abuse and "enslavement." She was also a vocal opponent of repealing "don't ask, don't tell," and said earlier this year that she would reinstate the military policy if elected.

Bachmann's husband, Marcus, created a stir earlier this year when an undercover sting videocaptured his Christian counseling clinic pushing the controversial practice of "praying the gay away." Conversion therapy of all types has been widely debunked by scientific studies.

Team Bachmann also drew fire last month when a clip surfaced showing her Iowa campaign co-chair, Tamara Scott, arguing that the legalization of gay marriage would inevitably lead to people marrying turtles and inanimate objects such as the Eiffel Tower.

Here's the full transcript of the exchange between Bachmann and the high school students, via theRegister:

JANE SCHMIDT: One of my main concerns is government support for the LGBT community. So my question is what would you do to protect GSAs in high school and support the LGBT community.

BACHMANN: Well, No. 1, all of us as Americans have the same rights. The same civil rights. And so that's really what government's role is, to protect our civil rights. There shouldn't be any special rights or special set of criteria based upon people's preferences. We all have the same civil rights.

JANE SCHMIDT: Then, why can't same-sex couples get married?

BACHMANN: They can get married, but they abide by the same law as everyone else. They can marry a man if they’re a woman. Or they can marry a woman if they're a man.

JANE SCHMIDT: Why can't a man marry a man?

BACHMANN: Because that's not the law of the land.

JANE SCHMIDT: So heterosexual couples have a privilege.

BACHMANN: No, they have the same opportunity under the law. There is no right to same-sex marriage.

JANE SCHMIDT: So you won't support the LGBT community?

BACHMANN: No, I said that there are no special rights for people based upon your sex practices. There's no special rights based upon what you do in your sex life. You're an American citizen first and foremost and that's it.

ELLA NEWELL, a junior at Waverly High School: Wouldn't heterosexual couples, if they were given a privilege then, that gay couples aren't, like given that privilege to get married, but heterosexual couples are given a privilege to get married?

BACHMANN: Remember every American citizen has the right to avail themselves to marriage but they have to follow what the laws are. And the laws are you marry a person of the opposite sex.

Source: The Huffington Post 

Alternative Responses to Bullying

I came across this long article on Boston.com about a community that is going about anti-bullying programs in a unique way. Long story short, they are attempting to rehabilitate bullies by using YouTube videos and other unconventional media sources, as a form of counseling. It's a very interesting read and one in line with what The Acceptivity Project is all about. While the main goal of starting this project was to raise awareness for young people being bullied and the acceptance of marginalized individuals, it became clear to me that the bullies are often victims themselves and are worthy of being treated. It will be interesting to see what the success of this program is and if it can and should be adopted to other communities throughout the country.

Read the article here: http://articles.boston.com/2011-10-13/news/30276055_1_phoebe-prince-antibullying-law-video-plea

"Parents give kids the tools to battle bullies"

Where do you stand on using martial arts as a defense against bullies? Is it a case of violence begetting more violence? Having never taken a martial arts class myself I can't know of the principles it teaches, if it gives children a sense of self-respect that they can utilize when being bullied. My stand is that violence should never be fought with violence. But there is certainly food for thought in self-defense being self-respect.

While school districts across the state have developed plans to combat bullying, parents are taking their own measures to ensure their children are safe both in and out of school.

Since Pheobe Prince of South Hadley committed suicide after being bullied by classmates, bullying has been a hot topic among school officials and parents. Many parents have spoken to their children about bullying and some have even enrolled them in martial arts classes.

Jodi Michaud enrolled her 10-year-old son, Jack, in classes at Rising Sun Marital Arts on Main Street to offer him protection and give him the confidence to stand up to bullies.

Michaud, who also takes classes, said the focus is on self-defense to avoid violence, rather than engaging a bully.

"That's a big philosophy to get out of a situation," Michaud said. "It's been very positive for us."

Bryan Foley and his son signed up for martial arts classes at MetroWest Tang Soo Do on Broad Street to help his son who was bullied in school. He says his son's training helped him confront his bully without violence.

"He learned some pretty good skills," Foley said. "He felt strong enough to stand up for himself. It's invaluable."

An instructor at MetroWest Tang Soo Do, Rich Nugent said students learn self-defense techniques needed if a confrontation becomes physical, but students are encouraged to avoid violence.

With the prevalence of social networking websites and cyberbullying, many parents are monitoring their children's activity on websites for signs of bullying.

"I do know parents are talking to their kids and, most importantly, listening to their children," said Sue Goyette, president of the Farley Elementary School Home and School Association. "We do talk about bullying and we are very diligent on what they can and cannot access on the Internet."

Youth sports organizations also focus on the importance of discipline and providing a team-oriented atmosphere for athletes to prevent bullying.

"I think we do a great job at building discipline and a team, goal-oriented environment, which are key to preventing bullying," said Michael Chaves, president of Hudson Youth Baseball.

Hudson Youth Football President Bob Fecteau said coaches are required to sign a code of conduct, which states coaches won't tolerate bullying, and are constantly on the lookout for bullying activity.

With anti-bullying plans at schools and parents working to prevent bullying outside of school, Hudson Police Officer Chad Crogan said the skills the students have learned made them confident in dealing with bullies.

"The kids are standing up for themselves," Crogan said. "The kids are more aware of it and what to do."

(Jeff Malachowski can be reached at 508-490-7466 or jmalachowski@wickedlocal.com.)

Read more: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/education/x1178213614/Parents-give-kids-the-tools-to-battle-bullies#ixzz1fDGjZJoF

Source: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/education/x1178213614/Parents-give-kids-the-tools-to-battle-bullies

"Technology Increases School Bullying"

Yet another article involving the Michigan legislation on anti-bullying. This article includes talk of cyber-bullying, which can be just as harmful as bullying.

Michigan is one of just three states without an anti-bullying law to protect students in K-12 schools. The state Legislature is expected to approve a proposal this week that would require all schools to adopt anti-bullying policies.

Students say it's time to have a law in place, as bullying in schools is a growing concern.     

Samantha Torres, an 8th grader at Slauson Middle School in Ann Arbor, recently wrote a letter to Governor Rick Snyder urging him to consider the concerns of students as he looks at anti-bullying proposals. In the letter, Torres says teachers and adults do not know the extent of bullying in schools.

"People are pushed around in hallways a lot, people get into fights that are pretty brutal in the end," she says. "People just use their words too, to hurt other people. And most of that is when the teacher isn't watching or there is no teacher."

Torres says she and her friends have been bullied before. She says she is a very religious person and a classmate once told her via text that her religion was "stupid." Torres thinks harassment through text and the internet are quickly becoming the most hurtful and pervasive types of bullying at her school.

Technology Enhances Bullying
Glenn Stutzky, a social work professor at Michigan State University, says that's probably true. He says five years ago a target of a bully would be harassed about three times a day. Now, he says, a kid could be bullied between 10 and 20 times a day.

"Technology has allowed bullying to go mobile, and it's this type of bullying is not bound by geography," he says. "You don't have to be in the same place, and it's not bound by time. It's like being electronically bound to          your tormenters. You can't get, you know, away."

Stutzky says the things that happen in a home that a child witnesses during the earliest years of their life are still the biggest factors that contribute to bullying behavior. He says bullies choose their targets by honing in on gentle children because the bullies perceive those kids as weak.

Breaking A Cycle
Larry Schiamberg teaches human development and family studies at MSU: "I don't think anyone bullies another person without getting some, sadly, some level of satisfaction and gaining some level of apparent control over the other person," he says.

Schiamberg says victims and bullies have the similar emotional make-up and that bullies can easily become victims. Victims can easily become bullies. Schiamberg says it's important to encourage kids to report bullying if it happens to them or they see it happen to others in order to help break the cycle.

"When we define bullying as bullying, we are talking about continuity of behavior. This is not simply one nasty comment. This is not simply one maybe abrupt push. This is not simply one behavior. This is behaviors repeated over time," he says.

"And I think a lot of times people have just looked at this as just a rite of passage. It's normal, everybody went through it," says Kevin Epling, a father whose teenage son Matt killed himself ten years ago after being bullied. "Today it's much different, the technology has changed it quite a bit."

What's Proposed
Epling has been an advocate for an anti-bullying law in Michigan. Though he supports the anti-bullying proposal before the state Legislature, he says it still needs some work. He would like the proposal to include stronger rules about cyber-bullying. Epling also says he'd like the law to explicitly state some of the common characteristics of bullying victims. Advocates for gay and lesbian students say that would offer kids better protection.

Professor Glenn Stutzky says he is excited the bullying issue is being talked about. He says public dialogue about bullying can advance anti-bullying legislation.

"Now I'm really encouraged because I feel like we're reaching a tipping point where we can make some significant progress," Stutzky says.

There is already an anti-bullying policy in Samantha Torres' school district in Ann Arbor. The policy lists characteristics that are protected from bullying, such as sexual orientation and gender. Even so, Samantha says many of the mean comments made between students still go unnoticed by most people.

"The 'sticks and stones can break your bones but words can never hurt you,' but words can actually really hurt you," she says.

Source: http://ipr.interlochen.org/ipr-news-features/episode/16993

Zach Wahls Speaks About Family