brave girls

Cara Cerise [pic] has been named the 2011 Utah Young Humanitarian. Growing up with a gay dad sparked the 20-year old's interest in human rights. Cerise and her younger sister were raised by him after a divorce. Cara was 4 years old at the time. “From a really young age, I realized that my family is different and sometimes I get treated differently because of that. … My activism stems from not wanting anyone else to experience that,” Cerise said. “I felt like I was the only person in the world with a gay parent." The $5,000 college scholarship is the largest service-based award in the state.

The Iowa State Wrestling Tournament made news last week when two girls qualified. It was the first time any girls had competed in the 91-year history of the event. One of those teens is Cassy Herkelman [pictured] a 14-year-old freshman.

She had a 20-13 record at Cedar Falls High entering the tournament. But when Cassy was matched against a 16-year-old boy, the boy refused (citing religious reasons) and forfeited the match.

The video is very long and HS Sr Kayla K. could have come out of the closet much quicker during her time on stage, but it doesn't nullify her bravery and freedom in an assembly honoring MLK Jr. Maria Carrillo High School (go Pumas!) is in Santa Rosa, CA (est. 1996). According to its website: "From the first year on, it has been widely acknowledged and recognized as a rigorous, academic secondary school as well as a high-performing one".

The teen lesbian who successfully challenged a rural Mississippi school district's ban on same-sex prom dates was recently named one of Glamour magazine's "Women of the Year 2010". The main measure for honorees is that they help make the world a better place for others. Constance McMillen (18) told the AP that she became a bullying victim after she challenged the School District.

A spokeswoman for ABC Family said the network has plans to develop a movie about Constance McMillen, the Mississippi teen whose school prom was canceled after she asked to bring a same-sex date. Diane Morgan, the network's vice president of media relations, said the project is in the early stages of development.

Jessica Cohn-Kleinberg (pictured) is a senior at a Miami high school. She's spent the past three years working for Safe Schools South Florida and other groups - speaking to counselors, teachers and students about life with gay parents.

Bill O'Reilly took time during one of his recent shows to discuss the Illinois lesbian couple voted "cutest couple" at their high school.

O'Reilly believes the students at the school voted for the girls because the student body - as a whole - wanted to play a prank on the teachers and administrators of the school.

He said, "the kids voted...this couple the cutest couple to tweak the adults...to cause trouble, to make an issue of the yearbook."