GLSEN

GLSEN and The Ad Council announced the award-winning “Think Before You Speak” PSAs will appear at Super Bowl XLVI and reach tens of thousands of fans. The campaign will be targeting anti-LGBT language among teens with Super Bowl attendees at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN. The advertising opportunity was made possible as an in-kind donation to GLSEN by Toronto-based Grazie Media.

The Boy Scouts of America's adult leaders have posted a reminder on their blog reminding the group that it is "No Name Calling Week." It's an initiative of GLSEN, and the Boy Scouts are embracing it's goal. The blog post encourages Scouters to take name-calling seriously, and intervene, it provides links to tips and resources.

The National Education Association’s Health Information Network (NEA), wants students to know the body parts of the male and female anatomy by grade 2 and be able to define sexual orientation by grade 5. The NEA has published a document intended to “provide clear, consistent and straightforward guidance on the essential minimum, core content for sexuality education.” The document is titled, National Sexuality Education Standards: Core Content and Skills, Grades K-12.

"My name is Tommy and I’m a senior from Houston, Texas. I’m not gay myself, but my dads are. In my short life I’ve already seen, heard and experienced way too much anti-LGBT bullying. That’s why I’ve made it a personal cause to stand up against anti-LGBT behavior whenever I encounter it, especially when it’s directed at my family. I try to speak up whenever I hear someone called a fag or see someone pushed into a locker.

More than 2,000 middle and high schools are pledging to be allies to anti-gay bullying in schools. Students participate in Ally Week from October 17-21 in a variety of ways but include people taking the Ally Week pledge by signing a pledge card in their school or online at www.allyweek.org.

The Huffington Post has named GLSEN Board Member Sirdeaner Walker its Greatest Person of the Day. Since the loss of her son two years ago, Sirdeaner has been an outspoken advocate for the Safe Schools Improvement Act, a federal anti-bullying bill that includes explicit protections for bullying based on sexual orientation and gender identity, among other personal characteristics. When Sirdeaner Walker found out her son was being bullied and called homophobic slurs, she told his school about it.

Players on the San Diego Padres team have accepted GLSEN's challenge to stop name-calling and/or using language that puts down others because of differences like sexual orientation and gender expression. By taking GLEN's challenge, the Padres hope to encourage youth to follow their example by avoiding harmful language and by treating all team members with respect. The Padres are the first professional sports team to sign the Team Respect pledge.