SOGI #1 – Sean Kosofsky Comes Home to Talk about Bullying
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 4, 2016)
Troy, MI – An Oakland University graduate and longtime advocate for LGBT equality, Sean Kosofsky, returned to Michigan to be the keynote speaker for the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Issues in Education Conference on Jan. 29. The SOGI Conference is geared towards those in education and counseling professions to help them create inclusive environments for students regardless of sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Kosofsky is currently the Executive Director of the Tyler Clementi Foundation in New York, a group dedicated to ending bullying.
His talk was about ways of doing that.
Although bullying has always happened, it did not become a widely-discussed issue until 1999-2010. That’s when the media began sharing stories of youth suicides, and when educators began to discuss it from a policy perspective and as a public health problem.
“This vernacular of bullying being a health issue began with LGBT groups bringing it forward,” Kosofsky said. “Kids most at risk for bullying were LGBT youth or youth perceived to be LGBT.” He noted that the boys who went on a shooting rampage at Columbine High School had been taunted with homophobic slurs prior to murdering other students.
More common than mass murder, however, is suicide. And among the countless suicides of LGBT youth and young adults, one story in particular captured the attention of the national media.
“In the fall of 2010, young Tyler Clementi, 18 years of age, a violinist, comes out to his parents a couple days before going to Rutgers University,” Kosofsky said. “His roommate was not thrilled with having a gay roommate.”
One evening Cementi asked to have the room to himself because he had a date. His roommate agreed, but set up a webcam to record his interaction. Clementi found out about the camera and requested a room change. His roommate planned another viewing, but Clementi unplugged the power cord. He made a report to officials at the school, and then went to The George Washington Bridge and jumped to his death.
His death made national headlines and started a wave of stories about bullying and suicide. His parents created the foundation in his name.
“That fall of 2010, a moment and a movement were created,” Kosofsky said. Carrying on that moment is his mission. “If we spend a 20 year window working on youth, we can solidify a generation. We have the money and resources to change this… If we create a generation of tolerance, wild change will happen to a lot of these other problems in the world.”
BYSTANDERS INTO UPSTANDERS
One way to encourage change is to help people recognize their view as bystanders and give them the tools to stand up to bullies. “Do you stand up for others? Chances are you say you do this, but you don’t do this… It is human nature not to get involved,” Kosofsky said.
There are several ways to be an upstander…
1 – Intervene
2 – Report it. “You can report abuse online and that can help. If you see it in person, tell someone.”
3 – Reach out to the person being bullied. “Tell them that it’s going to be okay. We have the power to save lives with just a few words.
LEGAL HELP FOR VICTIMS
The Tyler Clementi Foundation is working with the Institute for Internet Safety to provide free legal expertise and possibly representation in bullying cases. Attorneys volunteer their time to help others who have suffered from being bullied.
DAY ONE
“What if we can prevent bullying before it even starts?” Kosofsky asked. The Day One initiative has teachers, coaches, and other people in authority welcome people into their space with a directive that everyone would be treated with respect. Setting the expectation from “day one” proactively creates an inclusive culture.
TYLER CLEMENTI FOUNDATION
Using these initiatives, the Tyler Clementi Foundation is keeping awareness and prevention of bullying alive.   The tools can be used by teacher, counselors, parents and others. More information is available at http://www.tylerclementi.org.
The SOGI Conference is an annual event. Learn more about topics presented this year and in previous years at http://oaklandcounty115.com/?s=sogi.