Here it is: the work of almost a year come together. I really hope you get something from it, and feel free to share it!
Latest Entries »
Just a quick note to say that this blog has not been forgotten! I have been working hard getting the editing done for the documentary. It’s coming along quite nicely.
More full interviews will be posted up after the documentary is done to give the whole project more depth and show you everything said by those who helped me, unrestricted by time limits.
Please bear with me while I get the main bit finished!
Adrian.
I was fortunate enough to interview the parents of Asher Brown, a thirteen year old from Houston. Last year Asher tragically ended his life after the bullying he endured at school became too much.
Since that day, David and Amy Truong have made it their lives’ mission to turn schools into a safer environment for children. They were at the forefront of the campaign to introduce anti-bullying legislation to force schools to address the problem of bullying and harrassment.
Meeting them in their home in Houston, I witnessed just how brave they both are in the face of such tragedy. It was heartbreaking to hear their story first-hand; they loved their child very much.
The Truongs are now involved in a court case with the school their son attended; the school which treated them so badly in their moment of grief.
You can read Amy’s blog here. It contains updates on their campaigns and their court case. It also gives a very personal insight into the thoughts, and the day to day struggles, of a truly inspirational couple coming to terms with the loss their young child.
Apologies for those who tried to view the video and only saw black for the first 2 minutes! I was too rushed to check it after the upload; watch this space, a better version will be up shortly.
Some clips from an interview with the author of the HB 1942 bill, Mark Strama. He talks about the bill itself, what it does, the opposition it faced in the House of Representatives, and those who helped it pass.
After a great day-trip with the gang at Out Youth, I had a chat with Lisa Rogers, the Programme Director. Here are some clips from the interview … see the rest in the documentary ‘Strength and Courage to Yield’, coming soon.
Yesterday I travelled up to Dallas to meet with Brandon, who I have been in contact with for the last few months. I came across his article on anti-gay bullying in schools when I first started researching the documentary. After we both got lost, we finally caught each other at Dallas’ beautiful Reverchon Park.
As a teacher, he has first hand experience with bullying in schools, and has a very informed opinion on the subject. He is also a lovely guy who is obsessed with mountains!
He covers three main topics in the clips above:
The new laws recently signed by Governor Rick Perry
Anti-bullying programmes, such as Rachel’s Challenge.
If you would like to contact Brandon regarding any of the information discussed, the email address given on his Dallas News page is : vestal78@gmail .com
To ensure that all those I interview are given the time they deserve, I will be posting the footage that I won’t be using in the documentary here on the blog.
It’s not that the clips are irrelevant, just that they will not fit in the 20min documentary.
Watch this space!
Just over a week since the event itself, but the whole day remains firmly rooted in my memory. The very first sign that something big was going on as we drove into Houston’s Montrose area was a series of small stalls set up along the road side and a distant thud of loud music carrying down the street.
Equipped with press passes and camera, my sister and I witnessed the event blossom from an easy-going festival into a full blown party. There were many vibrant stalls lining the roads with games, activities and refreshments, and also a few company stalls who had obviously come to exploit the marketing opportunity. Houston’s openly gay Mayor, Annise Parker had a campaign stall to garner support.
The people were just as varied, but what was really great to see was that there were just as many straight people as there were gay people. Nobody was totally ‘in-your-face’ — even those trying to preach against homosexuality managed to find a subtle way to do it (handing out fake trillion dollar bills with a message written on the back).
The same could not be said for the group camped out just down the road. There could be found a group of individuals who felt compelled to denigrate the event and those there to support it. With banner raised high condemning homosexuality as a sin, and calling upon all to repent. A few heated arguments erupted between the evangelists and people there to celebrate Pride.
David Stokes (the gentleman in sunglasses in the video), who was leading the evangelist protestors had a lot to say about the event: his group saw themselves as trying to save people from sin. Unfortunately, it seemed to come across as all-out hatred for the gay community. I asked Wes Miles, who was there to enjoy the event, what he thought about the general attitude to homosexuality in Texas. He went on to talk about the success of voters supporting gay marriage in the state of New York, who had won the night before.
Some very good news — after being rejected year after year, the Texas legislature have passed a bill that will help address the problem of bullying in schools and cyber-bullying.
It has been a long campaign by the likes of House Representatives Mark Strama, Diane Patrick and Mark Shelton, who have been trying to push this through the state legislature.
According to Equality Texas, the HB 1942 Bill:
- For the first time, includes the definition of bullying in Chaper 37 (Discipline) of the Texas Education Code,
- Updates the definition of bullying to include that through electronic means (cyberbullying),
- For the first time, provides for the transfer of the student who engages in bullying. Currently, only the target of bullying may be transferred.
- Allows staff development to include training on preventing, identifying, responding to, and reporting incidents of bullying.
- Mandates that each board of trustees of each school district adopt a policy, including any necessary procedures, to address the prevention, investigation and reporting of incidents of bullying.
Adrian Naik
