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Check this out!  A really cool article highlighting transgender athlete Keelin Godsley as he trains to throw the hammer in the upcoming Olympics!

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This song is called, "I Wrote the Book" by Beth Ditto, featured in my latest post.  I'll be posting more of her music, including tunes and perhaps music videos from her band, Gossip. 

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This a legit candid vid. featuring Beth Ditto of Gossip.  For those of you who don't know who she is or much about their music, I'll be posting some of their tunes and some images that Beth has done for magazine covers, featuring how beautiful "bigger" women are--and really, what does that even mean?? We live in America and there are people of all shapes, sizes, colors, creeds, orientations and lifestyles.  Don't be a bully.  Find beauty where you can.  

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Embrace diversity in all its forms.  Don't hate.  Find love and the freedom to express yourself.  Many people--myself included--have ink.  It's a form of expression that many people judge or discriminate by.  Open your mind a bit and ask someone why they got the ink they have.  You may be surprised-- ink tells a story about the individual and their life just as the ink on the pages of a book tell that book's story.  Even if they just decided they liked a design in a book, that ink says something about that person. Remember that someone made a conscious choice to get tattooed, knowing that it was a visual and tangible form of permanence on their body.  Take a second to think about that before you judge someone negatively based on the mere fact that they have ink at all.  Try understanding rather than hating; it's so much more rewarding.

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Okay so yet another quote from a well-known individual. We're getting exciting today.

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I'm not one for generally quoting famous individuals, but this is legit.

http://www.facebook.com/Dailyinspirationandmotivation

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Stereotypes 

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http://www.facebook.com/Dailyinspirationandmotivation

http://www.getoutthebox.org/

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I support people’s rights to choose what they do to their bodies and how they want to act for themselves, and I strongly support everyone’s right to be treated fairly and with due respect.

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Stand up against bullies. Stand up for what is right.

Posted by a friend on Facebook:

The photo was taken in Hamburg in 1936, during the celebrations for the launch of a ship. In the crowed, one person refuses to raise his arm to give the Nazi salute. The man was August Landmesser. He had already been in trouble with the authorities, having been sentenced to two years hard labour for marrying a Jewish woman.We know little else about August Landmesser, except that he had two children. By pure chance, one of his children recognized her father in this photo when it was published in a German newspaper in 1991.

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Defining Bullying in Legislation

The following comes from a 2011 bill amendments to be enacted by the California Legislature.  This portion of it shows how we are looking at acts that encompass bullying and at least a general look at what bullying legislation seeks to provide in schools (bolding of type added by The Link to highlight the definitions of bullying).

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Title: 2011 California Senate Bill No. 453, 2011-2012 Regular Session

Citation: 2011 CA S.B. 453 (NS)May 24, 2011

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LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 453, as amended, Correa.

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Pupil rights: bullying: school safety plans: suspension and expulsion.

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Existing law provides that each school district and county office of education is responsible for the overall development of all comprehensive school safety plans for its schools operating kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, that include strategies aimed at the prevention of, and education about, potential incidents involving crime and violence on the school campus, as specified.

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This bill would encourage, as comprehensive school safety plans are reviewed and updated, all plans, to the extent that resources are available, to include policies and procedures to ensure that appropriate strategies, resources, training, and other prevention or intervention efforts are in place to deal with the remediation and termination of bullying, as specified.

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Existing law prohibits the suspension of a pupil from school or the recommendation of a pupil for expulsion from school unless a school district superintendent or the principal of the school in which the pupil is enrolled determines that the pupil has committed any of several specified acts, among which is having engaged in an act of bullying. For purposes of this provision, bullying is defined to include an act of sexual harassment or hate violence, or threats or intimidation directed against school pupils or personnel, and to include bullying committed by electronic means, as defined.

This bill would also define bullying to include, but not be limited to, acts motivated by specified actual or perceived characteristics of the victim.

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This is absolutely true.  I was bullied as a kid for being overweight and that kind of hurt takes a lot of work and self-reflection to go away.  In fact, it still hasn't left, even years later.  I remember instances with frightening clarity where I was verbally bullied to my face all the way back in sixth grade.  Don't wait until high school to talk about bullying with your kids--whether you spawned them or whether you are an educator, friend, or family member in their lives. 

And don't forget the little things--the age old things that are often overlooked these days.  The fact that bullying and body image aren't mixed up in the courts like the issue of gay marriage doesn't make them any less important.  This affects youth far more than you might think.  Talk to your kids about body image and being healthy.  It's important, and you may be surprised by what you hear. 

theloveyourselfchallenge:

Created by Lindsay <3

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I have some friends that don't really dig Lady Gaga for whatever reason, and I have some that hop up and dance every time they hear a song of hers on the radio.  Whatever you think of her as an American (and international) entertainment industry celebrity, she is an attention grabber.  Placing her face next to an image of our President, and a half page sized image of her in a newspaper next to the headline, "Lady Gaga continued her fight against bullying at an event for President Obama," certainly brings attention to the issue of bullying in our country.  Whatever she does that may incur your shock as a part of her entertainer persona, get it girl--she is doing something useful with the fact that so many people follow her movements around the world, and she has joined us in the fight against bullying as a societal condition; that at least deserves respect.

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Language holds so much power--by distinguishing something by a single word, like putting "gay" in front of "marriage," we may be using the term as a tool for bringing attention to the political issue; but at the same time, are we perhaps generating a "separate but equal" kind of standard for marriage between two persons of the same sex?

Thanks to my friends who posted this on facebook before I did!

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Spirit Day: 10/20/2011

Posted yesterday by a friend on facebook:

Today is Spirit Day. Nationwide, almost 90% of LGBT students have been harassed at school, and lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth are up to four times more likely than their heterosexual peers to attempt suicide. Spirit Day is a response to bullied young people dying from suicide. Wear purple today to show you support making sure all youth survive their childhood.

By posting such short and informative blurbs on facebook and other vehicles of social media, we can spread awareness and generate support for various societal groups; we can show them that we stand with them and support their right not to be bullied based on something that should be a protected class, like sexual orientation. 

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Particularly appropriate as it is Pit Bull Awareness month, I'm posting this after a friend of mine put it up on facebook:

This baby was thrown from a car on the freeway and rolled down the hill and is in Lomita, Ca. It took 2 months to catch him. He needs to go to a rescue or a furever home A.S.A.P. He is great with other dogs. No issues w/ cats that he can tell. His name is Brownie. Please PM me or call if you can help. He currently is still in lomita.

By: Ruth A. Woodford

*Please message The Link if you would like more information.