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Michael’s Story

Michael, from St. Albans, was harassed in middle school for who he was. He even encountered death threats and violence. While his situation improved in high school, he remembers the torment of those earlier years.
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Bradley's Story

Bradley’s Story

Watch Bradley Milam, Fairness West Virginia program director, tell his story of going to school in Raleigh County. Experiences like the ones he describes have inspired him to help make WV schools safer for students today. Read more

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Making WV Bully-Free

WV Bully-Free is the safe schools campaign by Fairness West Virginia and the ACLU of West Virginia. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students are frequent targets of bullying, and it needs to stop. See what we’re doing and how you can help. Read more

Recent Articles

17
Aug

A Very Good Episode of “This American Life”

This particular podcast, “The Cruelty of Children,” dates back to 1996. It discusses bullying, LGBT issues and features David Sedaris reading a chapter from his book Naked titled, “I Like Guys.” It’s absolutely hilarious and definitely worth a listen.

13
Aug

National Government Taking Initiatives To Promote Safer Schools

Isn’t it time we do the same?
Education Department Holds First Ever LGBT Youth Summit Aimed at Safer Schools

11
Aug

Do gay kids get bullied?

Although LGBT students are often victims of schoolyard harassment, some West Virginia lawmakers don’t think that gay kids get bullied in school. Read more »

9
Aug

“Smear the Queer”

A story that lends credence to our belief that teachers should be properly trained to handle the LGBT issues that will inevitably arise: “‘Smear the Queer’: Gay Students Tell Their Stories

8
Aug

WV Bully-Free in Charleston Gazette: “W.Va. campaign targets anti-gay bullying”

Fairness WV’s program director, Bradley Milam, was recently interviewed for a Charleston Gazette article on WV Bully-Free!

The article, dated August 7, 2011, outlined WV Bully-Free’s efforts to educate the public and policymakers about more effective anti-bullying policies. “It is a campaign that will show the public as well as policymakers that we need to have a much more effective policy here,” Bradley said.

It cited data from GLSEN’s 2009 National School Climate Survey, which showed that nearly nine in 10 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students had experienced harassment at school within the previous year, and about two-thirds felt unsafe because of their sexual orientation.

The article also highlighted stories from WV Bully-Free’s video project from former WV high school students who experienced bullying and harassment because of their sexual orientation.

Read the Gazette article here.