Good morning,
Earlier this week, Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President, joined Attorney General Eric Holder in Arlington, Texas to deliver keynote remarks at the White House LGBT Conference on Safe Schools & Communities.
Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Obama, delivers keynote remarks along with Attorney General Eric Holder at the White House LGBT Conference on Safe Schools and Communities at The University of Texas at Arlington, Tuesday, March 20th, 2012.
In speaking before an audience of over 400 teachers, students, parents, community advocates, law enforcement officers and officials, and elected officials, Valerie described the steps the Obama Administration has taken to ensure safety and security for all our young people - including LGBT students - in our schools and neighborhoods.
As she closed her remarks, Valerie told the story of Tempest Cartwright, a 12th grader from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, who experienced - but was able to overcome - bullying and whose story inspires us to continue to fight for safe schools and communities:
So in closing, I would share one more story from a leader who is here today. Because change doesn't begin in Washington. Change happens because ordinary people do extraordinary things ... people like Tempest Cartwright.
Tempest is from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma - she's 18 years old. When word first got around her high school that she was gay, she lost friends. Some people stopped talking to her at church. Other students called her hurtful words that no young person should ever hear. For a while, Tempest was depressed. But she refused to let bullies ruin her life. As she put it, "Their attitudes and assumptions need to change, not me. If I don't help that along, who will?
So today, Tempest is the president of her school's gay-straight alliance - an alliance that has more than quadrupled its membership since she became involved. It's not easy. In fact, it is hard. When her organization places posters around the school, they often get torn down. But she and other members keep putting them right back up. And every day, bit by bit, she changes the world around her. As she put it, "When people put me down, it inspires me to stand up."
Well, young people like Tempest should inspire us all to stand up, and keep standing up, for what is right. To stand up for the safety of our children and neighbors. To stand up for the belief that in America, no one should face bullying, harassment, or violence because of who they are, because that's not who we are.
Read Valerie's remarks as prepared for delivery.
http://links.whitehouse.gov/track?ty...ls-communities
Since launching the White House LGBT Conferences, we've been in Philadelphia, Detroit, and Dallas/Ft. Worth to discuss issues such as Health, Housing and Homelessness, and Safe Schools and Communities. Stay tuned for announcements about future White House LGBT Conferences on issues including HIV/AIDS, Aging, and Families.
Best regards,
Gautam Raghavan
Office of Public Engagement
The White House