Bosnian Refugee Who Speaks Little English Signs 30 to 40 Mortgage Affidavits Daily For Washington Mutual which is now owned by JP Morgan Chase; "Document execution specialist" was formerly Wal-Mart clerk
Gay Councilman: My Plea Has Saved Lives Already
(CBS) An openly gay Fort Worth, Texas city councilman says a dramatic speech he gave this week -- a video of which has gone viral and been viewed more than a half-million times on YouTube - has kept some gay teens who are being bullied from committing suicide.
In it, an emotional Joel Burns assures them life gets better beyond high school.
He used a routine council meeting to address young gay victims of bullying, reports "Early Show on Saturday Morning" co-anchor Chris Wragge.
"I have never told this story to anyone before tonight," Burns began.
In a heart-wrenching moment, Burns told of the bullying he endured as a teenager. "They said that I was a faggot and that I should die," Burns said.
The harassment drove him to the verge of suicide, Wragge points out.
"Coming out was painful, but life got so much better for me," Burns continued.
His message, aimed at gay teens across the country, was simple. "You will get out of that high school and you'll never have to deal with those jerks again if you don't want to," Burns said. "You will find and you will make new friends who will understand you. And life will get so, so, so much better.
"You will have a lifetime of happy memories if you just allow yourself and give yourself the time to make them."
When Burns finished, he got a standing ovation from his fellow council members.
Suicide by gay high school and college students is an all-too-familiar tragedy, Wragge notes. There have been at least a dozen such deaths nationwide since the beginning of September.
(CBS) An openly gay Fort Worth, Texas city councilman says a dramatic speech he gave this week -- a video of which has gone viral and been viewed more than a half-million times on YouTube - has kept some gay teens who are being bullied from committing suicide.
In it, an emotional Joel Burns assures them life gets better beyond high school.
He used a routine council meeting to address young gay victims of bullying, reports "Early Show on Saturday Morning" co-anchor Chris Wragge.
"I have never told this story to anyone before tonight," Burns began.
In a heart-wrenching moment, Burns told of the bullying he endured as a teenager. "They said that I was a faggot and that I should die," Burns said.
The harassment drove him to the verge of suicide, Wragge points out.
"Coming out was painful, but life got so much better for me," Burns continued.
His message, aimed at gay teens across the country, was simple. "You will get out of that high school and you'll never have to deal with those jerks again if you don't want to," Burns said. "You will find and you will make new friends who will understand you. And life will get so, so, so much better.
"You will have a lifetime of happy memories if you just allow yourself and give yourself the time to make them."
When Burns finished, he got a standing ovation from his fellow council members.
Suicide by gay high school and college students is an all-too-familiar tragedy, Wragge notes. There have been at least a dozen such deaths nationwide since the beginning of September.
No comments:
Post a Comment