Fred Phelps Is Almost Dead: My Personal Protest

Phelps and his signature picket signs.

I've never hated anyone.

Anger, rage, disgust - I've certainly felt those things, but hatred, no. No human being has ever pushed me over the edge of that dangerous precipice. If anyone got me close though, it was Pastor Fred Phelps.

Since the 1998 Westboro Baptist picket of Matthew Shepard's funeral, I've been periodically obsessed with my near-hate for Phelps and his entire nutcase "God Hates Fags" clan. My loathing for Westboro and Phelps has never been all-consuming, mostly because I manage to forget about them a few days after each whorish media-grabbing funeral picket. But like God's own demented mafia, each time I think I'm free, their carnival specter makes internet headlines again, and they pull me back in.

This morning Westboro was in the news for very different reasons. According to Nate Phelps, one of the pastor's estranged sons, Fred Phelps was ex-communicated from his own church last August. Even more interestingly, the aging Phelps is on his deathbed in a Kansas hospice.

Now, after more than fifteen years of fiery loathing, you'd think my feelings about this news would be clear. Ding-dong, the witch is almost dead. But it's not like that. Instead, the news that Fred Phelps is near death leaves me confused. As much as I might like to stand on internet hilltops and sing the "good news" at the top of my lungs, that feels all wrong to me.

When I was younger, I imagined proudly picketing Phelps' funeral. I pictured his teary family mourning their beloved hate-mongering mentor at the gravesite, and me ten or twenty yards away, holding a smarmy fluorescent picket sign. "Hey Fred, Tell Satan to Leave the Light On For Me." Something like that. But now that the moment is near, and Fred is finally about to shuffle off this mortal coil, the idea of protesting at Phelps' funeral has lost its appeal. It feels, well, mean.

I've spent the morning thinking about my options, other ways I might mark the miserable life and hateful times of Fred Phelps, and I think I've figured it out. I've decided that I will protest, but not the way Westboro does.

I'll protest by learning more about someone with whom I vehemently disagree.
I'll protest by not judging someone who is different from me.
I'll protest by keeping an open mind when I don't understand.
I'll protest by keeping an open heart when I feel afraid.

When Fred Phelps dies, I'll protest alright, by being exactly the kind of person whose funeral would be picketed by the wicked pastor and his pitiable Westboro Baptist family.

Turn of Phrase - Top WNBA Draft Pick Is Gay

Brittney Griner - #1 WNBA draft pick

"If I can show that I'm out and I'm fine and everything's okay, then hopefully the younger generation will definitely feel the same way."

- From Brittney Griner, the number one overall pick in Monday's WNBA draft. 

The 6-foot-8 Griner, who led the Baylor Lady Bears to a 40-0 season and the NCAA women's basketball title in 2012, acknowledged her lesbian sexuality this week in a Sports Illustrated interview.

According to Griner, public recognition of her sexual orientation "wasn't too difficult," as she has lived openly and never attempted to hide who she was. It also helps that the trail for professional lesbian athletes has already been blazed by women like Sheryl Swoopes, the three-time gold medalist and first woman ever signed by the WNBA, and by tennis legends Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova. 

Coming out on such a big stage takes guts nonetheless and Griner should be commended for having the mettle to be open about her sexuality. Gay kids across the spectrum need all the support we can muster, and out gay and lesbian role models in professional sports are still pathetically few and far between, particularly among male athletes.

John Amaechi and Glenn Burke

Gay men have played in the big four professional sports in the U.S., but few have ever publicly acknowledged their sexuality and none have done so before retiring from their respective leagues. John Amaechi, who played in the NBA off-and-on for several years between 1995 and 2003, came out in 2007 and was the first NBA player (albeit a retired one) to do so. Similarly, MLB outfielder Glenn Burke, who had a brief career with the LA Dodgers and the Oakland As, came out in 1982 after retiring from baseball at the tender age of 27.

Can you imagine the hullaballoo that would surround a current top NBA draft pick who came out? Better yet, what if RGIII had announced he was gay just after signing with the NFL's Washington Redskins? I'm not expecting such a revelation anytime soon in mens' professional baseball, football, or basketball, but the world is ready. 

Now, we just have to hope there's a young gay male athlete somewhere out there with as big a heart and as much courage as Brittney Griner.

Celebrating National Coming Out Day and Remembering Matthew Shepard

This is a 2018 update of an article that was originally published in October 2011.

What a strange coincidence that the celebratory National Coming Out Day event occurs each year on October 11, the day before the anniversary of Matthew Shepard's death.

At the risk of dampening the uplifting message of NCOD, I like to use this time each year to remember Matthew, and in so doing, bring attention to the enormous need we have for greater tolerance in our society, as well as the importance of showing support for those among us who struggle to accept their own sexuality.

Matthew Shepard

Matthew Shepard was 21 years old when he died twenty years ago on October 12th, 1998.

He was one of two sons born to his mother Judy and his father Dennis, along with his younger brother Logan.

He was a student at the University of Wyoming. He loved politics and traveling.

He was a slight kid, measuring only 5'3" tall and weighing not much more than 100 pounds. Matthew was gay.

Just after midnight on one cold night in early October, Matthew met Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson at the Fireside Lounge in Laramie, Wyoming. Under the guise of giving Matthew a ride home, the two men, also both in their early twenties, drove Matthew to a ranch in a remote area outside of Laramie.

It was in this secluded setting on the outskirts of town where McKinney and Henderson brutally pistol whipped Matthew and beat him savagely. They delivered repeated blows to Matthew's head, which fractured his skull in multiple places and left more than a dozen lacerations on his face and neck. The two men pummeled Matthew so badly that his brain was no longer able to regulate his heart rate, body temperature, or other vital functions.

The fence.

And when they were finished ruining this young man, McKinney and Henderson took his wallet and shoes, tied him to a fence, and left him to die alone in the near freezing darkness of a cold Wyoming night.

Eighteen hours later, Matthew was discovered by a cyclist who found him tied to the fence, and who at first, believed him to be a scarecrow. Matthew was taken to the hospital where his injuries were deemed too severe for doctors to operate. He survived a few days in intensive care, never regaining consciousness, and having no chance to say goodbye to his mother, father or brother, before he was pronounced dead at 12:53 a.m. on October 12.

The world has changed dramatically in the twenty years since Matthew's murder.
 

Top Tweets About the Boy Scouts Ban on Gays

In a prior post, I shared news of the Boy Scouts of America's decision to continue its shameful ban on participation by gay scouts and scoutmasters.

It's important that the Boy Scouts organization begins to understand how outdated and wrong-headed their bigoted policy is. To that end, the Twitterverse launched a full-frontal attack on the BSA with all the verve and creativity we've come to expect.

Here are a few of my favorite Boy Scout Tweets, which I selected mostly for boldness of message or cleverness of irony. (Please know, I'm not trivializing the BSA's decision - I'm calling attention to it and recognizing good humor!)

Boy Scouts Reaffirm Their Ban on Gays

Boy Scouts of America Logo

After a two-year review of their policy banning gay scouts and gay scout leaders, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has decided to let the ban stand.

In announcing the decision, Boy Scouts chief executive Bob Mazzuca said, "The vast majority of the parents of youth we serve value their right to address issues of same-sex orientation within their family, with spiritual advisers and at the appropriate time and in the right setting."

The ban was previously challenged and upheld more than a decade ago in a Supreme Court case, wherein a gay scoutmaster had been fired from the organization because of his sexual orientation. 

In its June 2000 decision, the Court ruled that the Boy Scouts of America, as a private organization which exists in part to express a particular message, has a constitutional right to freedom of association. This freedom allows the organization to exclude members when "the presence of that person affects in a significant way the group's ability to advocate public or private viewpoints."

The most unfortunate aspect of the BSA's affirmation of its anti-gay policy is that this American "institution" is sending a message to innocent gay kids that says - you are different, you are wrong, you are less. 

The Scouts have a legal right to say those things, and happily, the rest of us have rights too...and responsibilities. 

- It's up to each of us to teach our kids to be tolerant and open-minded. 

- It's up to each of us to vigorously challenge notions of bias and hate. 

- And most importantly, it's up to each of us to make sure the gay kids in our families and neighborhoods hear messages of love and acceptance.

The Boy Scouts of America has made its negative and hateful position known. We must each send our positive message of support for gay and lesbian kids even louder and more clearly.

Turn of Phrase - Anderson Cooper Comes Out Officially and Quietly

CNN journalist Anderson Cooper

"I’ve also been reminded recently that while as a society we are moving toward greater inclusion and equality for all people, the tide of history only advances when people make themselves fully visible. 

There continue to be far too many incidences of bullying of young people, as well as discrimination and violence against people of all ages, based on their sexual orientation, and I believe there is value in making clear where I stand."

- From CNN News anchor Anderson Cooper, explaining his decision to openly discuss his gayness. Cooper shared the truth about his sexual orientation in a low-key manner, through a classy and eloquent email he wrote to journalist and blogger Andrew Sullivan.

The decision to come out must have been incredibly difficult for Cooper. While he is personally comfortable as a gay man, in his letter he discusses his fear of losing the last shreds of his privacy and his concern over having his professional objectivity called into question. Clearly though, his sense of personal responsibility to the causes of young gay people, marriage equality, and society in general outweighed his concerns about coming out. 

Coming out is hard. Each of us who eventually reaches the decision to share the truth about our sexual orientation has fought our personal demons, fears, and doubts along the way. 

But it's incredibly important that those of us who can come out, do come out. Gay people, especially younger folks, need good role models, and straight people benefit from seeing that gay people are not so different. 

The world needs more Anderson Coopers.

Obama Demonstrates Bold Leadership On Complex Issues

Photo: Chip Somodevilla
Getty Images

This week's Supreme Court decision to uphold the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) marked a major victory in President Obama's courageous fight to revise the broken healthcare system in America.

While the ACA may be both Obama's signature achievement and his achilles heel, there is no denying its boldness.

The President’s attack on the lobbyist-dominated monstrosity that is the American healthcare system showed enormous mettle. Regardless of what one thinks of Obamacare, it should be noted that no other president has been able to muster the know-how, the political muscle, and the intestinal fortitude to successfully pass legislation to overhaul our broken healthcare system.

Obamacare is not the only recent example of the President's willingness to take a stand and lead America forward. 

Two weeks ago, in a statement delivered from the White House Rose Garden, the President declared the United States will no longer pursue deportation of undocumented immigrants who were brought into the country illegally as children.

Conservative pundits questioned the President’s motives in making the election-year policy change, while Republican Congressional leaders had relatively little to say on the issue, partly in deference to Mitt Romney, who continues to take a nuanced non-position on the announced changes.

Why would the President take the politically risky step of allowing some illegal immigrant children to stay in the U.S.?

Turn of Phrase - Neil Patrick Harris Outs Clint Eastwood on Colbert

Neil Patrick Harris appearing
on The Colbert Report

"Colbert: Who else in Hollywood is gay?

NPH: There's a couple. There's a few of 'em. Do you want names?

Colbert: Eastwood? Clint Eastwood?

NPH: Clint Eastwood, super gay. Super duper gay."

- From Neil Patrick Harris, in a recent appearance on The Colbert Report. NPH was promoting the upcoming telecast of the Tony Awards.

Other interview topics include making theater an Olympic sport and juggling your children. NPH and Colbert go together like gay peanut butter and straight jelly. Watch the clip below and just try not to love both these guys.

Still a Boy Is Dead

By Jeff McKown

No one was murdered.
No physical violence was inflicted.
No weapons were used, save for a webcam.
Still, a boy is dead.

No one was shot.
No punches were thrown.
No deadly intent or premeditation, save for humiliation.
Still, a boy is dead.

No battle was waged.
No crimes of war committed.
No declarations or gauntlets thrown down, save for harmless taunting.
Still, a boy is dead.

No one was there.
No last minute plea was made.
No way out, save for the cold water below.
And now, a boy is dead.



Related Posts:
The Sad Death and Short Life of Tyler Clementi
Jury Reached Verdict In Webcam Bullying Trial
Dharun Ravi Receives 30-Day Jail Sentence

Dharun Ravi Receives 30-Day Jail Sentence In Tyler Clementi Webcam Case

Clementi and Ravi

Former Rutgers student Dharun Ravi was sentenced today to 30 days in jail, 300 hours of community service, and 3 years of probation for using a webcam to illegally spy on his college roommate having sex.

Ravi was also penalized with a stiff fine, as he was ordered to make a payment of $10,000 to a community-based organization that assists victims of bias crimes.

This seems reasonable, harsh even, until you consider that the roommate involved in the incident, Tyler Clementi, was a vulnerable 18 year-old boy grappling to come to terms with his homosexuality. Clementi, who was mortally embarrassed by the webcam spying, jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge a few days later.

In March, Ravi was found guilty of bias intimidation and invasion of privacy, crimes which carried up to a ten-year prison sentence. After his conviction, a great deal of debate ensued about how much responsibility, legal or otherwise, Ravi should shoulder for the death of Clementi. Ravi's actions did, in all likelihood, lead to Clementi's decision to kill himself in September 2010, but the Rutgers student had no other direct involvement in the suicide.

Many followers of the trial, including some gay rights advocates, believed that imposing the full ten-year sentence would be unduly harsh.

Jane Lynch Guest Hosting On Maddow Show

What do you call it when two lesbians appear on television to discuss politics? MSNBC. More specifically, The Rachel Maddow Show.

I wouldn't normally share a 10-minute video, but this clip was utterly enjoyable from start to finish. First, Lynch guest anchors the show's "Best New Thing In the World" segment (and does an admirable job), and then Maddow joins the set for a two-woman roundtable conversation about politics.

The discussion includes their reactions to President Obama's same-sex marriage announcement, the value of coming out, and the importance of never underestimating the dorky kids in high school.

The banter is so genuine and personal that it almost feels like you're spying on Maddow and Lynch enjoying a coffee together. All-in-all, a refreshing moment for 24-hour news channel programming.

10 Best Fictional Tweets In Response To Obama's Gay Marriage Endorsement

Since President Obama's declaration of support for same-sex marriage on Tuesday, a wide of array of reactions have flooded the public airwaves.

In general it goes like this:
- Gay folks are grateful for the affirmation.
   (and nervous about the general election)
- Liberals are proud.
   (and nervous about the general election)
- Conservatives are not surprised.
   (and nervous about the general election)


In light of the ample coverage these real reactions have received, I think it's high time we look at what I imagined people might say.

Here are 10 of the most interesting (fictional) Tweets I read (made up) in response to President Obama's endorsement of gay marriage.

1. "I hate to say I told you so. No, I don't." - Rick Santorum
2. "I really don't see what all the fuss is about." - Kim Kardashian
3. "POTUS said what?" - David Axelrod
4. "What's next? Legalized marriage between a man and a dog?" - Snoopy
5. "It's not like you have to marry a guy to have sex with him." - Larry Craig
6. "Nyah, nyah, nyah." - North Carolina
7. "This means all four of my marriages meant nothing." - Rush Limbaugh
8. "That's what I meant when I said I opposed gay marriage." - Mitt Romney
9. "Is anyone going to finish that sandwich?" - Chris Christie
10. "Finally, someone actually did what I would do." - Jesus

Okay, so I made all that up, but not this.

According to Bristol Palin, it would have been nice if President Obama had not been so influenced by the thinking of his wife and daughters and had instead...

"...been an actual leader and helped shape [his daughters'] thoughts instead of merely reflecting what teenagers think after one too many episodes of Glee."

Good to see Bristol dishing out parenting advice to the President. If anyone knows about raising kids properly, it's a 21 year-old single mom whose baby's father just announced that he and his new pregnant girlfriend will name their baby after an Italian handgun. (Oh yeah, that last sentence is true.)

Turn of Phrase - Gay Spokesman Quits Romney Campaign

Richard Grenell - Romney Aide
Photo: Stephen Hilger/Bloomberg

"I want to thank Governor Romney for his belief in me and my abilities and his clear message to me that being openly gay was a non-issue for him and his team."

- From Richard Grenell, openly gay Foreign Policy and National Security Spokesman for the Romney campaign. 

Grenell resigned Tuesday after significant pressure from socially conservative Republicans made it impossible for him to do his job.

The Romney campaign aide went out of his way to point out that his gayness was not an issue for Romney or the campaign staff. It's unfortunate that the rest of the Republican party couldn't leave Grenell's personal sexual orientation out of his professional life.

Turn of Phrase - Obama Disappoints Gay Supporters

"We are extremely disappointed with this decision. The unfortunate truth is that hard-working Americans can be fired simply for being gay or transgender."

- From Joe Solmonese, president of the advocacy group Human Rights Campaign. 

Solmonese was reacting to today's White House announcement that President Obama will not sign an executive order banning LGBT discrimination by employers with federal contracts. 

Some state and local municipalities, and some private sector companies and organizations, have enacted LGBT anti-discrimination requirements and policies, but with the exception of the recent repeal of Dont Ask Don't Tell, the federal government has not. This leaves gay and lesbian workers in most places completely vulnerable to discriminatory employment practices, including termination.

The Obama administration continues to proclaim its support for ENDA (the Employment Non-Discrimination Act), a congressional bill that would "prohibit discrimination in hiring and employment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity by civilian, nonreligious employers with at least 15 employees." Unfortunately, that support has yielded nothing, as ENDA has never had enough support to pass both houses of Congress since it was first proposed in 1994.

The President's unwillingness to sign the anti-discrimination executive order, like his failure to stand up in favor of same-sex marriage, is disappointing, though not surprising. In the United States, lawmakers and politicians often do the right thing, only after the winds of change have generated a substantial enough cultural groundswell for them to safely ride through the next election. 

Maybe in his second term when the pressures of re-election have waned, President Obama will be a courageous leader on the issue of gay rights, rather than relinquish himself to the role of ardent supporter.

Jury Verdict Reached In Webcam Bullying Trial

Rutgers Freshmen Tyler Clementi and Dharun Ravi

A New Jersey jury has convicted Rutgers student Dharun Ravi on all 15 counts he faced of bias intimidation and invasion of privacy. Ravi, who used a webcam to spy on and humiliate his gay college freshman roommate, faces up to ten years in prison.

Ravi used his webcam to capture video images of his roommate, 18 year-old Tyler Clementi, kissing another man in his dorm room, and then he briefly broadcast the video online. Days after the incident, Clementi chose to take his own life by jumping off the George Washington Bridge. The jury verdict does not hold Ravi legally responsible for Clementi's death, but the jury was aware of the suicide and could certainly make the logical connection between the events.

Ravi, who is 18 years-old and a legal alien resident of the United States, could also be deported to his home country of India as a result of the verdict, despite the fact that he has lived in the U.S. legally since he was a small boy.

Despite the triumph of justice in this case, there is no cause for celebration. Clementi's short life has ended, Ravi's life has been devastated. There are no winners left standing here - only horrific lessons for all of us about the potentially tragic cost of bullying and the very intense personal and public dangers of bias and intolerance.

You can find out a little more here about the short life of Tyler Clementi, the boy who paid the biggest price in this sad case. You can learn more here about how to fight bullying in your community.

10 Signs Girl Scouts Are Pro-Abortion, Pro-Gay

State lawmaker Bob Morris (R-Indiana) has unearthed internet evidence proving that the Girl Scouts organization is a radical group that promotes homosexuality and abortion.

While Democrats and others with a modicum of intellect and common sense have discredited Morris' accusation, I believe there may be something to the lawmaker's conclusion.

After a little online digging of my own, I found these damning facts, which I submit are indicative of the Girl Scouts' subversive ultra left-wing, pro-abortion, pro-gay agenda.

1. Five new controversial cookie flavors added. 
• Birken-Choc  crunchy outside, chocolatey good inside
• Fudge Packers  baked in a quaint refurbished 19th century Connecticut farm house
• Sponge Biscuits  safe, effective, and oh so tasty
• Thin Men  just like Thin Mints only more judgmental
• Granola Munch  not just for college girls any more
2. Neil Patrick Harris and Gloria Steinem deemed honorary Super-Daisies and hired as organizational spokespeople.
3. Cookie drive supported with new TV ads featuring a k.d. Lang jingle which will air during episodes of Glee.
4. Food coops, feminist bookstores, and the Cubbyhole on 12th Street added to the acceptable list of volunteering venues.
5. New Planned Parenthood award - given to any girl who successfully builds a campfire while reciting the legal text of Roe v. Wade. 
6. Emblem update - American eagle image replaced with Subaru Outback.
7. New slogan for the annual cookie campaign - "Now with more placenta."
8. Softball and golf added to camping and backpacking on list of core activities.
9. New badge created - the Two Girls Tie One Knot badge, currently authorized in only seven U.S. states and Canada.
10. Fashionable uniform re-design - all flannel, all the time.

The Sad Death and Short Life of Tyler Clementi

Tyler Clementi

Tyler Clementi was a gay eighteen year-old freshman at Rutgers University who was struggling to come to grips with his own sexual identity.

Dharun Ravi was Tyler's roommate, who along with his friend Molly Wei, used a hidden webcam to secretly record a dorm room sexual encounter Tyler had with another man.

Upon learning that Dharun and Molly planned to broadcast the video online, Tyler jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge in New York.

Today, nearly a year and a half after the suicide of Tyler Clementi, jury selection begins in the trial of Dharun Ravi, who is charged with bias intimidation, invasion of privacy, and hindering prosecution.

It's natural to be angry at those who bully others, and it's easy to be enraged by the continuing onslaught of gay teen suicides. What's far more difficult is to look closer at the real lives of those young people, who in the face of ultimate desperation, believed that only one path remained for them - and they killed themselves.

For us to honestly grasp what is sacrificed each time a young gay brother or sister believes suicide is the only way out, we must first seek to truly understand who we have lost.

James Clementi has recently published a series of short letters he wrote to his younger brother Tyler. His letters are not easy to read, but they are too important not to read, and they do a beautiful job of helping us fully realize what we all lost on September 22, 2010 - when Tyler jumped off that bridge and drowned in the Hudson River.

The letters from James to Tyler can be found here.



Related Posts: A 14 Year-Old Boy Is Dead, Jamie Hubley - Another Gay Teen Suicide, When "It Gets Better" Isn't Good Enough,

5 Things Republicans Should Stop Attacking

1. Economy/Jobs - Sorry, it's improving. Hard to accept, but you can't win this one.

2. Gays - Seven states have legalized gay marriage. Not enough bigots left for this to matter.

3. Birth Control - Seriously? Even Catholics are on the pill.

4. The Teleprompter  - Get over it. The President is an inspiring speaker. Also, in a sing-off, Obama's voice delivers a solid ass-whooping to Mitt's voice.

5. Iran - Did GWB teach you nothing about fucking up foreign policy? Besides, no one wants to pay for another war. 

With apologies to my friend Selene (who has reminded me more than once to stop feeding good suggestions to the GOP), I feel obligated to send this simple message to my Republican friends - it's the trillion dollar budget deficit, stupid!

Republicans find themselves faced with these facts: Under President Obama, the economy and job market have shown consistent growth, and they continue to move in the right direction. The U.S. is now out of Iraq, and the troop draw down is underway in Afghanistan. Oh yeah, did I mention that whole killing of Osama bin Laden thingy?

So, here's all you have left GOP. I'm a fairly hardcore Democrat, and even I can't stand that the President's current budget proposal, if adopted, would guarantee another year of $1 trillion deficit spending. Think about it - for four straight years, our government will have spent $1 trillion more than they collected. And what's worse, we would make minimal reductions in the next six years, adding at least another half trillion dollars per year to what we already owe. Not acceptable. Bill Clinton must be rolling over in his satin bed sheets.

The Obama administration will argue that these deficits are the price we must pay to repair the damage done to our economy by the Bush administration, and they may be right. But honestly, other than a somewhat related argument the GOP can make against Obamacare, there are no other significant issues around which they can rally enough Americans to actually beat Obama.

The sad fact for the even sadder right wing is this - if the economy continues its slow and steady improvement, Obama will win. But hey GOP - at least I'm offering you something to legitimately complain about.

When "It Gets Better" Isn't Good Enough

Eric James Borges, dead at 19

Why are some of the gay teens who make It Gets Better videos still killing themselves?

Three days ago 19 year-old gay California teen Eric James Borges ended his life. One month before his death, EricJames, as he liked to be called by his friends, participated in the It Gets Better project. In the five minute video he produced for the program, he paints a vivid picture of the shame and painful rejection he experienced as a gay teen, but by the end of his video, he assures other GLBT youth that their lives will eventually become easier, as they grow and mature, and gain new experience and perspectives.

In September 2011, 14 year-old Jamey Rodemeyer, who was also a bullied and ostracized gay teen, ended his life. Four months prior to his death, Jamey, like EricJames, recorded a video for It Gets Better in which he urges other struggling GLBT kids to be strong, and then convincingly reassures them that their lives, while tough right now, will most assuredly improve over time. 

It's understandable how the current generation of teenage kids are naturally drawn to the internet to connect with others who may understand and empathize with their struggles. It's also logical that kids who have been raised in our age of vast technological interconnectedness use the internet to find solutions to the sometimes seemingly hopeless situations in which they find themselves. 

What is less clear and far more disheartening is that teens like Jamey and EricJames would actually discover many of the programs made available to them, and even participate in using these resources to assist both themselves and others, and then still choose to take their own lives. Somehow, these kids were selfless enough to try and convince others who are suffering that "it gets better," while clearly never really buying into the message themselves.

Former TV Star Kristy McNichol Likes the Ladies

Kristy McNichol, former teen star of the weekly 80's television drama Family, has come out as a lesbian.

In other shocking news...Nebraska has corn, the ocean is deep, and pizza is delicious.

Seriously though, good job Kristy. Young GLBT folks need all the role models they can get, and every actress, athlete, musician, or celebrity who publicly ventures outside the closet helps.