bullying Archives - Page 12 of 17

Tell Your Story

April 27, 2011 by Sarah

It’s time to talk about what’s happening to our kids in school.

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights will convene a hearing on May 13, 2011 on peer-to-peer bullying in K-12 schools. The Commission will look at verbal or physical assault, teasing, bullying, and any other form of harassment.

If your child, or a child you know, has been bullied based on their perceived sexuality or gender expression, please share your story with the Commission by writing a letter.

Your letter does not need to be formal; it should be in your own words and as personal as you are willing to make it. Let the Commission know about the kids and families involved, what happened/is happening, and how the people involved are impacted. You can make suggestions about how parents, teachers, school administrations, and communities should intervene to stop the bullying and prevent it in the future. You may choose to be anonymous, although please provide at least one initial and your state, if not your city, so that the Commission can get a sense of where problems are occurring in the country.

Our stories will become the heart and soul of this report, and will inform how national anti-bullying policy is created and implemented in the future.

Please send your stories by Monday, May 2, by mail or email, to:

Kim Tolhurst, Esq., Acting General Counsel

c/o Alec Deull

U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

3102 Krueger Road

North Tonawanda, NY 14120

deullusccr@gmail.com

The final report will be released in September 2011.

Please, tell your stories. And spread the word, so that all of our voices are heard.

Because telling our stories can change the world.

Thank You, Jenna Lyons

April 12, 2011 by Sarah

In addition to the email I wrote to J. Crew and the comment I left on the Fox News site, I’ve written a note directly to J. Crew’s Creative Director Jenna Lyons. I encourage you to do the same. I’m sure she’s getting lots of hate mail, and I hope we can balance it out with love mail. Her email address is jenna.lyons@jcrew.com.

Here is what I wrote:

Dear Ms. Lyons:

I am a writer and the mother of a “pink boy,” a long-haired almost nine-year-old boy who wore pink nail polish and dresses when he was younger. For magazines, radio, and my blog, I write about the joys and challenges of raising a boy who is different.

I want to thank you for your brave, bold choices to celebrate your son’s penchant for pink, and to publicly show your support for who he is. I am sure you are well aware of the double standard in our society that favors masculine girls and demonizes feminine boys.

Parents from around the world write to tell me of their struggles with school bullying, rejecting family members, and the health and mental health consequences of such challenges. And men who were pink boys when they were young (now gay, straight, or transgender adults) write to share their lonely, painful experiences growing up in even less accepting times than these–making me thankful for all the change we’ve seen in recent decades. Thank you for what you have done to make the world a better–and safer–place for boys who are different.

I’ve written a blog post about the controversy surrounding the ad (and my gratefulness to you and J. Crew!).

Thank you. What you’ve done means so, so much to many, many parents around the world.

All the best,

Sarah Hoffman

J. Crew, I Love You

April 12, 2011 by Sarah

You may have seen the J. Crew ad featuring Jenna Lyons, J. Crew’s Creative Director, and her pink boy. Jenna said in the caption, “Lucky for me, I ended up with a boy whose favorite color is pink. Toenail painting is way more fun in neon.”

Jenna, I love you. You’re brave and ballsy and badass. You’re promoting the idea that boys who like pink nail polish are cool—and their moms are awesome. You’ve launched a new national debate around gender norms, and my readers know how much I love that.

Fox News reported today that the ad sparked controversy over the meaning—and repercussions—of promoting such counter-cultural ideas. Erin Brown, spokesperson for the conservative media watchdog Media Research Center, said, “Jenna’s indulgence (or encouragement) could make life hard for the boy in the future.” Right. Because bullying is not caused by the systemic degradation of feminine boys promoted by people like Brown or Dr. Phil, but parental acceptance of kids who are different from the norm. That totally makes sense.

I encourage you to comment on the Fox site, to make your voice heard among the Fox News readers, who might have, uh, differing views from yours.

And J. Crew? You are awesome for supporting pink boys and their loving, accepting parents. You are awesomer still for holding up one of the only positive images of pink boys I’ve ever seen in mainstream media. You are awesomest of all for taking on gender inequities, unspoken bias, and, ultimately, bullying of boys who are different—even if you didn’t really know what you were getting into what you posted that ad.

If my readers are so inclined, I encourage you to contact J. Crew at contactus@jcrew.com and tell them what you think of their bold move. I wrote just a moment ago to tell them exactly how awesome I think they are. Because we need to celebrate every joyful victory that comes our way, and commend those who help get us there.

I’m sharing my awesome with Momma Made It Look Easy and you can too.

Tell Your Story

Thank You, Jenna Lyons

J. Crew, I Love You

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