Joel Burns
Oct. 12 is the one-year anniversary of openly gay Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns’ legendary “It Gets Better” speech. (In case you’re wondering, as of this posting, the video had 2,664,269 views on YouTube.) To mark the occasion, the Fort Worth City Council on Tuesday will proclaim Oct. 12 as Bullying Awareness Day, according to a press release from Burns’ office:
On October 12, 2010, Councilman Burns used his personal time at a city council meeting to speak to citizens, parents and educators about their responsibility as adults to end bullying. His message also included a personal plea to those youth who were considering suicide to stick around for a life that will get better and a message of hope to empower youth to speak out and stand up for anyone who might be experiencing bullying. Subsequently, the video of Councilman Burn’s speech went viral and garnered international attention. To continue the conversation about bullying and the effects it has on children, and ultimately the city as a whole, the City of Fort Worth is proclaiming October 12, 2011 Bullying Awareness Day to encourage its citizens to do their part in ensuring that all children have a safe, caring and respectful place to feel safe, learn and socialize.
